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Cubs' Cade Horton Sends Optimistic 7-Word Message On Rib Injury

Originally posted on Chicago Cubs on SI | By Grant Young | Last updated Oct 7, 2025 5:57 PM ET

The Chicago Cubs were dealt a brutal blow when it became clear that star pitcher Cade Horton had suffered a fractured rib at the end of September, which ended Horton's fantastic rookie campaign.

The team had known about the injury for a few days before Horton was officially put on the 15-day IL, but Horton wanted to see if he was capable of pitching through the rib issue before ruling himself out.

Alas, after not being able to make it past three innings against the New York Mets a couple of days later, the 24-year-old NL Rookie of the Year candidate was sent to the IL, which meant he wouldn't be eligible to compete in the first round of the playoffs.

Then the Cubs made it past the San Diego Padres in the NL Wild Card round, which sparked optimism that perhaps Horton (who went 11-4 with a 2.67 ERA and 97 strikeouts in 118 innings pitched this season, including a 1.64 ERA in his seven most recent starts) could be back for the Cubs' upcoming NLDS series against the Milwaukee Brewers.

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Unfortunately, Horton was not activated for the series, suggesting his rib isn't where it needed to be to return to the mound.

Cade Horton Sends Hopeful Message About Rib Injury

When speaking to the media before the NLDS began, Cubs manager Craig Counsell said of Horton, “He feels good. We're encouraging healing right now, so we're not doing anything that would cause pain. We haven't pushed him to a place that we would test that. I think as we get into later this week, we're going to have to decide if it's time to do that, and that decision has not been made yet," per MLB.com.

However, there's no better person to hear about Horton's injury from than the man himself. And Horton sent a clear message about how he's feeling when speaking with the media on Tuesday, one day before his team's pivotal Game 3 against the Brewers.

“At this moment, I am pain-free," Horton said, per an X post from Marquee Sports Network.

"You know, just really not trying to still push it. But yeah, for right now, I'm feeling good," he added.

“At this moment, I am pain-free.”

Cade Horton on his fractured rib. pic.twitter.com/pAubaeiXm9
— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) October 7, 2025

This should make Cubs fans optimistic that Horton could potentially return for the NLCS. However, Chicago would need to advance to the NLCS for that to be a possibility, which means they need to win three straight games against the top-seeded Brewers, which starts during Game 3 on Wednesday.

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This article first appeared on Chicago Cubs on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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