The Chicago Cubs are wasting no time in moving pitcher Cade Horton up their minor league ladder, reportedly promoting him to Triple-A Iowa.
According to Tommy Birch of the Des Moines Register, Horton will join the club as they take on Buffalo in Des Moines this week.
Horton is ranked as the top prospect in the Cubs’ system by multiple outlets, and is the No. 26 prospect in all of baseball, according to MLB Pipeline.
He has flown through the minor league ranks so far in his young career, having been drafted with the seventh overall pick in the 2022 MLB Draft.
In 25 minor league starts, Horton has a 5-4 record and a 2.41 ERA, with 135 strikeouts in 104 innings of work.
In four starts with the Double-A Tennessee Smokies, Horton has a 1-0 record and a 1.10 ERA this season, with 18 strikeouts and just two walks in 16.1 innings.
Horton’s ascent comes as the Cubs deal with a slew of injuries to their big league rotation, with three starting pitchers currently on the shelf with a variety of ailments. Fortunately, the Cubs could soon get Justin Steele back in the mix, but the timeline is less clear on Kyle Hendricks and Jordan Wicks, both of whom hit the injured list last week.
What’s also unclear is how quickly Horton could be brought up to the big leagues, with some experts believing that he could join the rotation for at least a few starts in the 2024 campaign.
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