With Shōta Imanaga Down, Cade Horton Promotion Seems Likely
Shōta Imanaga was removed from his start on Sunday, exiting with a left hamstring strain suffered while sprinting to cover first base on a double play attempt. Imanaga was pulled from his previous start in Pittsburgh due to cramping, but this appears to be a different — and longer-lasting — injury. Either way, it’s detrimental to Chicago’s already hurting rotation.
Justin Steele is out for the season, leaving Imanaga as the clear ace on the pitching staff. Colin Rea has been an outstanding surprise since joining the mix following Steele’s, and Chris Flexen was recently brought up from Triple-A after experiencing a similar career rebound. While there’s a possibility the Cubs look to Flexen as a rotation replacement, all signs are pointing to top prospect Cade Horton.
The righty has dominated his competition to begin the 2025 season, posting a 1.17 ERA with 28 strikeouts over 23 innings for the Iowa Cubs. Walks were a small issue earlier in the season, but Horton was pitching in poor conditions through his first few starts and recent results have been better. He threw six innings of one-run ball with five strikeouts, one walk, and two hits allowed on Sunday, so he’s on the same schedule as Imanaga.
After allowing just 1 run and 2 hits over 6 frames today, @Cubs No. 2 prospect Cade Horton now has a 1.24 ERA across 6 starts for the @IowaCubs this season 😯 pic.twitter.com/s6iocsVSwU
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) May 4, 2025
Horton is hitting all of his checkpoints, leading to fans clamoring for his promotion. He likely would have made his Cubs debut in 2024 if not for injuries, but he’s finally healthy and going deep into games. Horton’s last two starts have each been six innings, so he’s ramped up enough to make at least a few starts as a rotation replacement.
Cade Horton’s starts in Triple-A this season:
3.1 IP, 1 H, 4 BB, 0 R, 6 K
4.0 IP, 3 H, 3 BB, 1 R, 6 K
5.0 IP, 1 H, 3 BB, 1 R, 6 K
4.2 IP, 2 H, 1 BB, 0 R, 5 K
6.0 IP, 3 H, 1 BB, 1 R, 5 K
6.0 IP, 2 H, 1 BB, 1 R, 5 K— The Wrigley Wire (@TheWrigleyWire) May 4, 2025
Not only has his inning count been rising, but the control is very clearly improving. The circumstances aren’t ideal, but the fact that he’s been starting on the same schedule as Imanaga is a great coincidence for the Cubs. If Horton is indeed promoted, he would be scheduled to make his debut in Queens against the Mets.
