CLEVELAND -- Cubs pitcher Cade Horton will go on the injured list and undergo further testing after leaving the second inning of Friday's 4-1 loss to the Guardians due to right forearm discomfort.
Manager Craig Counsell said Horton will be placed on the 15-day injured list Saturday. Horton will return to Chicago and undergo tests Sunday or early next week.
"You take a pitcher out of the game in the second inning, you're concerned. He'll probably get imaging, and that's concerning as well," Counsell said. "We've got to see what we've got here. It's going to be an IL stint, but let's get more info before we get too far."
Horton looked toward the Cubs' dugout after throwing a 93.8 mph fastball to Bo Naylor low in the strike zone for a called strike. Counsell and a trainer came out and talked to the right-hander briefly before he came out of the game. Horton was tearing up and wiped his eyes as he walked to the dugout.
He threw 17 pitches, including eight strikes. He retired the Guardians in order in the first and walked Kyle Manzardo to lead off the second.
"I had some tightness in my wrist, and as the game went on, it went into my forearm," Horton said. "I wanted to err on the cautious side and not hurt anything else. I just wanted to be smart about it and make a smart decision."
It was Horton's second start of the season. He got the win March 28 against the Washington Nationals, allowing two runs on four hits with four strikeouts.
Horton, 24, went 11-4 with a 2.67 ERA last season. He had Tommy John surgery on his right elbow in 2021 while pitching for the University of Oklahoma.
The eighth overall pick in the 2022 amateur draft, Horton did not pitch in the postseason for the Cubs last year due to a right rib fracture.
