Cubs' Pitching Staff Faces Injury Crisis

0:00On April 8th, Chicago Cubs pitching staff took some heavy hits right off the gate in the 2026 season. Top prospect Kate Horton is done for the year after Tommy John's surgery, while Matthew Boyd and Justin Steele sit on the shelf for now. To patch things up, the Cubs inked Tyler B to a minor league deal, sending him straight to AAA Iowa for depth. Beds no stranger to the grind. He went first round to the Giants back in 2014, debuted in 2018, but Tommy John derailed him in. 2020. He's bounced from Pittsburgh to Japan with a Yomu Yuri Giants, then Cleveland, Indies, and even Mexico last year. Cubs had him on a minor deal earlier this season, but cut him in March after a shaky spring. Fans are stressing hard, knowing more injuries could tank the whole campaign before it even heats up. Chicago's rotation is already stretched thin, putting real pressure on the bullpen and farm system to step up without crumbling. Meanwhile, Javier Asad got the call to the bigs to bolster the starters.

1:01Velasquez, Wright, Rea, and Brown are next in line, with hot prospect Jackson Wiggins showing promise in Iowa despite some early runs allowed. Manager Craig Council wants to ease him in slow. Cubs brass is crossing fingers, the injury bud backs off, giving this past crew time to gel, and key playoff dreams alive. That's your update from MLB News Today, powered by AI. I'm Corey with The Story.