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Chicago Cubs starting pitcher and former Sooner Cade Horton will undergo surgery on his right elbow's ulnar collateral ligament, ending his 2026 season, according to ESPN’s Taylor McGregor on social platform X.

According to ESPN, Horton visited a specialist, Dr. Keith Meister, in Arlington, Texas, on Tuesday. This comes after Horton left in the second inning on Friday during the Cubs’ game against the Cleveland Guardians due to discomfort in his forearm.

Last season, Horton earned the 2025 National League Rookie of the Year runner-up award. Horton went 11-4 with a 2.67 earned run average over 23 games. 

In Horton’s time at OU in 2022, he went 5-2 with a 4.86 ERA and 64 strikeouts and won freshman All-American honors before getting selected seventh overall by the Chicago Cubs.

This story was edited by Joshua McDaniel.

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