When Justin Steele went beneath the knife for UCL revision surgical procedure final month, ending his 2025 season early, the strain of carrying the load on the entrance of the Cubs’ rotation went from being shared between two All-Star southpaws to falling completely on the shoulders of Shota Imanaga. Imanaga’s first eight begins of the 12 months have usually gone fairly properly, as he’s pitched to a 2.82 ERA regardless of his peripherals regressing considerably (4.52 FIP, 4.69 SIERA) relative to final 12 months’s dominant rookie marketing campaign.
Sadly, his personal season was not less than quickly derailed yesterday when Chicago positioned him on the injured listing on account of a strained left hamstring. Fortuitously, the Cubs and Imanaga seem to view the pressure as a reasonably gentle one. Supervisor Craig Counsell advised throughout his postgame interview yesterday (h/t Marquee Sports activities Community) that the end result was “fairly excellent news” and that it was not less than doable that Imanaga wouldn’t take for much longer than a minimal keep on the shelf to get better. Even so, one other starter shall be wanted to affix Jameson Taillon, Matthew Boyd, Ben Brown, and Colin Rea within the rotation.
Maybe the Cubs want look no additional than the hurler at Triple-A who was already on the identical schedule as Imanaga previous to the harm. High pitching prospect Cade Horton, chosen within the first spherical of the 2022 draft, has been nothing wanting dominant thus far this 12 months. A consensus top-50 prospect within the sport, Horton has made six begins for the membership’s Iowa affiliate this 12 months and has posted a glowing 1.24 ERA in that point with a strikeout price of 30.6%. It’s the type of dominance that may naturally result in followers calling for an enormous league debut, and people calls have solely grown louder within the aftermath of Imanaga’s harm. It’s laborious to argue any pitcher at the moment on the large league roster has a better ceiling than Horton, who sports activities a mid-90s fastball that touches 98 and a plus slider as a part of a powerful four-pitch combine.
For his half, Counsell instructed reporters (together with Maddie Lee of the Chicago Solar Occasions) that Horton is “an possibility” to switch Imanaga within the rotation. With that being mentioned, Counsell additionally famous that veteran right-hander Chris Flexen stays stretched out after lately having his contract chosen from Triple-A forward of a uniform opt-out alternative in his contract on Might 1. Flexen threw 54 pitches in three scoreless reduction innings final week and sported a 1.16 ERA with a 22.3% strikeout price in 23 1/3 innings of labor at Triple-A earlier than his contract was chosen. A veteran of eight MLB seasons who additionally briefly pitched for the KBO League’s Doosan Bears, Flexen has usually been a roughly common swingman since he returned from South Korea with a 4.56 ERA (90 ERA+) in 582 2/3 innings of labor.
His numbers fell off considerably over the previous two years, but it surely’s laborious to disclaim that he’s regarded spectacular since becoming a member of Chicago on a minor league deal. Nonetheless, there’s no query that Horton is the extra gifted pitcher with a lot larger upside. Horton appears prone to have a really profitable profession with the Cubs within the coming years, however there are different concerns that might tip the size in the direction of Flexen. The Cubs’ bullpen, which ranks backside ten within the majors with a 4.37 ERA, has already been stretched considerably by quick begins from Rea and Brown this 12 months. Horton would add one other hurler who can’t be anticipated to pitch deep into video games to the rotation combine, seeing as he’s maxed out at simply 78 pitches this 12 months. Flexen, in the meantime, has maxed out at 95 pitches and pitched into the sixth inning in three of his 4 full-length begins with Iowa.
Horton’s harm woes over time, from Tommy John surgical procedure in school to a subscapularis pressure that value him most of his 2024 season, have left the Cubs ready the place they’ll must fastidiously handle the gifted right-hander’s innings this 12 months. For a group with postseason aspirations, it’s truthful to surprise if calling him up in early Might is the best name when his electrical arm could also be wanted come October. Then again, nevertheless, it’s price noting that Horton didn’t throw a single pitch after Might 29 final 12 months. Well being for a pitcher is rarely assured, so it’s doable the Cubs could be greatest off merely calling up Horton now whereas he’s pitching properly and determining find out how to handle his innings later by both shutting him down sooner or later this 12 months or transferring him to the bullpen.
How do MLBTR readers assume the Cubs ought to deal with the emptiness of their rotation whereas Imanaga is out of fee? Ought to they flip to the high-upside prospect knocking on the door of the large leagues whereas he’s wholesome and pitching properly, or as a substitute choose to make use of Flexen as a way to handle Horton’s innings and protect the bullpen? Have your say within the ballot beneath:
