Cubs' Pitching Staff Struggles with Injuries

0:00On April 7th, Cade Horton, the Cubs young gun and National League rookie of the year runner up, just got hit with devastating news. He's heading for surgery to fix his right elbows all-narr collateral ligament, which means he's done for the rest of the 2026 season. He left his start against the Guardians after just one inning with forearm trouble, and now the team's down another ace early on. Adding to the pain, Justin steals still sideline from elbow surgery last April, with a possible return sometime in the first half of the year. Then, Matthew Boyd, who got the opening day nod and just made his first all-star team last season, landed on the 15-day injured list Monday with a left bicep strain. It's precautionary, but it stacks up with his long injury history. This leaves the Cubs pitching staff in a rough spot. The third starter out already after two seasons plagued by bugs like this. Fans are feeling the heat as the rotation scrambles, putting pressure on the whole squad just weeks into the campaign.

1:00Chicago called up Javier Assad from Tribal A, and shifted Colin Rea from the bullpen to fill gaps. Now the starters are Shota Imanaga, with a 4.5-0 ERA, newcomer Edward Cabrera, shining at zero earned runs over 11.2 innings. Jameson Talon holding Steady at 2.5-3, plus Rea and Assad stepping up, despite shaky minor league stats. If things don't click soon, the Cubs might eye-free agents like Lucas Geolito, Frankie Montas, or Tyler Anderson to bolster the staff once Boyd's, back keeping their playoff push alive through this storm. MLB News. Today, powered by AI, bringing you what matters on the diamond.