Given Horton’s importance to the rotation — not to mention Chicago’s chance for a deep October run — it made sense that manager Craig Counsell pulled the plug at the first sign of an issue on Tuesday night at Wrigley Field. The right-hander was lifted from his start against the Mets after three innings due to back tightness.
The Cubs announced that Horton’s early exit was precautionary in nature, but ending his evening likely put a period on his rookie campaign for Chicago. And over the past few months, the 24-year-old Horton has arguably vaulted himself to the top of the list for the National League Rookie of the Year.
Overall this season, Horton has spun a 2.67 ERA with 97 strikeouts and 33 walks in 118 innings across 23 appearances (22 starts). He made his Major League debut against the Mets on May 10 and never returned to the Minor Leagues, earning his place in Chicago’s staff as the team chased down its first playoff berth since 2020.
Since the start of July, Horton has turned in a 1.36 ERA, ranking first in the NL in that span among pitchers with at least 50 innings. The young righty has been even better since the All-Star break, spinning a 1.03 ERA that leads the Majors (min. 40 innings).
Against the Mets on Tuesday night, Horton surrendered a leadoff homer to Francisco Lindor in the first inning before settling in. He logged 29 pitches before being pulled by Counsell due to the back issue.
While Counsell has not announced any rotation plans for the best-of-three Wild Card series, which begins on Sept. 30, the schedule points to Horton being able to start in Game 1 or Game 2. He would have six days off between starts prior to the opener of that series, which would be against the Padres as things currently stand.
The Cubs have used a six-man rotation recently, building in some flexibility in the event that something does not go according to plan. If Horton needs more rest due to the back issue, lefty Matthew Boyd or lefty Shota Imanaga would be the top options for Game 1. Boyd and Imanaga are slated to start on Wednesday and Thursday, respectively, against the Mets.
