Chicago Cubs right-hander Cade Horton exited his start on Friday with apparent forearm discomfort and will head to the injured list.
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Manager Craig Counsell said Horton will stay with the team one more day and travel back to Chicago for imaging. According to Counsell, Horton said he felt discomfort start in his right wrist, which moved up into his forearm. It was ultimately Horton’s decision to stop pitching, as to not do any further harm.
Craig Counsell said Cade Horton felt discomfort in his wrist that moved to his forearm, and he will travel to Chicago to get it checked out.
An upcoming roster move is likely. https://t.co/oVdej2xNVf pic.twitter.com/oZ9lGdSsWe
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The Cubs will make a roster move in the coming days with Horton going on the injured list. The Cubs have until April 8 before Horton’s spot comes up again. Horton was 1-0 with a 2.45 ERA and had four strikeouts in 7.1 innings.
Despite Cade Horton’s injury, the Chicago Cubs have options
Since the Cubs need another quality starter to fill in for Horton, they need to look no further than Javier Assad. Despite having a great spring, a 1.35 ERA in three games, Assad was optioned to Triple-A due to not having a spot.
Since joining the Iowa Cubs, Assad has struggled, allowing seven earned runs in seven innings (two starts). Even though Assad hasn’t done well, he’d be a quality inning-eater if and until Horton returns.
Right-hander Ben Brown is another option to fill in for the short term. Brown has done well out of the bullpen, having a 2.70 ERA and eight strikeouts in 6.2 innings.
However, in 114.2 innings as a starter, Brown has struggled, posting a 5.26 ERA. Since Brown’s stuff is more suited for the bullpen, the Cubs bringing up Assad and keeping Brown where he is seems like the best plan.
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