Chicago’s 2022 first-round Draft pick suffered setback rehabbing from right lat strain

Horton (the Cubs’ No. 1 prospect, No. 17 overall, according to MLB Pipeline) suffered a setback in his rehab from a right lat strain, MLB.com confirmed. The expectation is he will get back to throwing, but given where the calendar is, the 22-year-old getting back to competitive action before the end of the Minor League season would be difficult.

The Chicago Tribune’s Meghan Montemurro first reported the news on Horton’s setback.

It’s a tough ending to what was shaping up to be a positive season for Horton in his developmental path. The Cubs’ 2022 first-round Draft pick was promoted from Double-A Tennessee to Triple-A Iowa on April 30, after he posted a 1.10 ERA in four starts with the Smokies, with 18 strikeouts in 16 1/3 innings.

Horton made five starts with Iowa, recording a 7.50 ERA in 18 innings, before landing on the 7-day injured list on May 31. He was diagnosed with a right lat strain on June 4 and shut down from throwing for a month.

Horton was transferred to the 60-day IL on July 24 and had been in Arizona working through a throwing program as the Cubs took a conservative approach to his rehab.

This was Horton’s second season in the Minor Leagues; he did not pitch in competitive action after the Cubs drafted him seventh overall in 2022. In 2023, he had a 2.65 ERA and 117 strikeouts over 88 1/3 innings over 21 starts between Single-A Myrtle Beach, High-A South Bend and Tennessee.