Chicago Cubs rookie right-hander Cade Horton is scheduled to make the start for Friday's series opener at Wrigley Field against the crosstown-rival Chicago White Sox. It will be Horton's first major-league start after he made his big-league debut on May 10 in a relief role against the New York Mets, yielding three earned runs on four hits (one homer) while walking none and striking out five in four innings for his first career win. While the 23-year-old pitching prospect's first MLB outing wasn't ideal, he did strike out five batters in a bulk-relief role and should remain in Chicago's starting rotation until left-hander Shota Imanaga (hamstring) returns from the injured list. In a matchup against a White Sox team that is dead-last in OPS (.620) on the season, fantasy managers should have Horton in their starting lineups on Friday.

The Chicago Cubs are expected to promote top pitching prospect Cade Horton to the MLB roster for their weekend series against the New York Mets. The 23-year-old is considered the No. 49-ranked prospect in the sport and the No. 2-ranked in the system on MLB Pipeline. Horton was on track to make his MLB debut last summer but suffered a season-ending shoulder injury. However, the former seventh overall pick has performed very well during the opening month of the Triple-A regular season and is set to make his MLB debut. Through his first 29 innings of work with the Iowa Cubs this season, the right-hander has posted an elite 1.24 ERA with a 0.86 WHIP. He has struck out 33 batters and served up just 13 walks. With Justin Steele (elbow) out for the season and Shota Imanaga (hamstring) on the 15-day IL, Horton has a path to remain on the major league roster for the foreseeable future.

Chicago Cubs right-handed pitching prospect Cade Horton is a candidate to take lefty Shota Imanaga's (hamstring) spot in the starting rotation this Saturday against the New York Mets, but even if the Cubs end up going with right-hander Chris Flexen or a bullpen game at Citi Field, the 23-year-old Horton is expected to make his major-league debut at some point in May, according to The Athletic's Patrick Mooney. Horton, the team's top pitching prospect, is coming off a major shoulder injury in 2024 and has thrown only 205 1/3 innings combined between his one college season at Oklahoma and the Cubs' farm system. The former seventh overall pick in 2022 has a sharp 1.24 ERA in six starts for Triple-A Iowa, but Chicago wants to see Horton display better command and consistency with his pitches. Horton's upside makes him worth stashing now in deep-mixed fantasy leagues if you need rotation help.

Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell said that right-handed itching prospect Cade Horton is an option to take left-hander Shota Imanaga's (hamstring) place in the big-league starting rotation after the team placed Imanaga on the 15-day injured list on Monday. In addition to Horton, veteran right-hander Chris Flexen is stretched out in a long-relief role and is another option, although he isn't nearly as intriguing for fantasy purposes. Horton was the former seventh overall pick in 2022 out of Oklahoma and is considered the club's No. 2 prospect, per MLB Pipeline. While Flexen might have the upper hand to make a start this weekend against the New York Mets because he's on the 40-man roster, Horton represents the much better speculative waiver-wire pickup. The 23-year-old has posted a strong 1.24 ERA, 0.86 WHIP and 33:13 K:BB in 29 innings for Triple-A Iowa to begin the 2025 season.

Chicago Cubs right-handed pitching prospect Cade Horton logged six innings of work for the second-straight start on Sunday against Triple-A Buffalo. In this outing, the top pitching prospect in Chicago allowed just one run, two hits, and held a 5:1 K:BB. This was his second-straight start tossing at least six innings of work. Prior to this stretch, the former seventh overall pick logged just 17 innings of work over his first four starts of the season. Horton dealt with a shoulder injury last season and was only able to log 34 1/3 innings of work before being shut down. This is a great sign to see the top prospect return to form and increase his workload. With Justin Steele (elbow) ruled out of the season and Shota Imanaga (hamstring) in danger of missing time, fantasy managers should consider stashing Horton in standard leagues as he could be in contention to make his MLB debut very soon.

Chicago Cubs right-handed pitching prospect Cade Horton logged a season-high six innings on Tuesday. In this outing, Horton allowed just one run and struck out five en route to picking up his second victory of the campaign. In this start, he allowed just three hits and one free pass. Through his first 23 innings of the Triple-A regular season (five starts), the top pitching prospect in Chicago has held a 1.17 ERA with a 0.96 WHIP. He has struck out 28 batters and served up 12 free passes. This is an excellent sign for the former seventh overall pick, as he was limited to just 34 1/3 innings of work last season due to shoulder strain. However, Horton appears to have returned to form and is flashing elite upside. If he continues to produce well at Triple-A, he could make his MLB debut in the coming weeks.

Chicago Cubs pitching prospect Cade Horton looked strong again in his latest outing on Thursday against Triple-A Louisville. Horton tossed four 2/3 shutout innings. He allowed just two hits and one walk, and struck out five batters. Through his first four outings of the Triple-A campaign, the top pitching prospect on the Northside has held an impressive 1.06 ERA with a 1.06 WHIP. During this stretch, he has held a 23:11 K:BB and allowed just one home run. Last summer, the former seventh overall pick battled numerous injuries and was able to pitch only 34 1/3 innings. While he was effective in his time with Double-A, Horton struggled in his first taste of Triple-A, allowing 15 runs in just 18 innings of work. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor Horton's production as he could be in the mix for a relatively early MLB debut this season, given the season-ending injury to Justin Steele (elbow).

Chicago Cubs pitching prospect Cade Horton continued his strong start to the Triple-A regular season on Wednesday during their match against St. Paul. In this start, Horton tossed five innings of one-run ball and allowed just one hit. He served up three free passes and struck out six. Over his first 12 1/3 innings of work (three starts), the former seventh overall pick has held a strong 1.46 ERA with a 1.22 WHIP. He has allowed just five hits but has struggled with his command as he has held a 10:18 BB:K. Last summer, the Oklahoma product flashed elite upside at Double-A but could never find his footing during his brief taste of Triple-A as he battled numerous injuries. However, the right-hander is fully healthy and is settling in quite well with the Iowa Cubs. With Justin Steele (elbow) out for the season, Horton should play a role in the rotation in the second half.

Chicago Cubs pitching prospect Cade Horton struck out six batters across 3 1/3 innings of work during his regular-season debut on Thursday evening. Horton allowed just one hit and did not allow a run. This was a strong outing for the top pitching prospect in the Cubs system, as he dealt with numerous injuries last season. In 2024, Horton was only able to log 34 1/3 innings split between Double-A and Triple-A before being shut down with a shoulder strain. He was sharp at Double-A, boasting a stellar 1.10 ERA and a 0.92 WHIP across 16 1/3 innings. However, he took a step back in his first look at Triple-A. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor his status, as he could turn the corner at the top level this season if he's fully healthy. The former seventh overall pick is a name to closely monitor and should make his MLB debut later this season. If he were to continue to produce at a high level at Triple-A, it may come sooner than expected.

Chicago Cubs starting pitching prospect Cade Horton (shoulder) made his spring debut on Saturday afternoon. Horton tossed one inning of one-run ball. He allowed one hit (a home run) and tallied one punchout. The 23-year-old missed the entire second half of the 2024 season due to a Grade 2 right subscapularis strain. The Cubs were slowly increasing his workload during camp. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor his status as he may be cleared to throw multiple innings in his next spring outing. Before his injury last summer, Horton tossed 16 1/3 innings at Double-A to the tune of a strong 1.10 ERA and a 0.92 WHIP. He tallied 18 punchouts with just two free passes. He then made his Triple-A debut and allowed 15 earned runs across 18 innings. Fantasy managers should expect Horton to open the season at Triple-A and compete for an MLB debut later in the summer.