Cade Horton's Cubs teammates detail their experiences rehabbing after major elbow surgeries
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Jameson Taillon was once Cade Horton.
Taillon, the No. 2 pick in the 2010 MLB Draft, understands Horton’s path better than most. He can empathize with the responsibility Horton feels toward the Cubs and the agonizing feeling of being unable to take the mound.
Taillon blew out his elbow in 2014 in the minors and again in 2019 in his fourth big-league season with the Pirates.
The Cubs haven’t experienced the breadth of Horton’s talent. The club monitored his innings last season to keep him healthy, and Horton dazzled. He had a 1.03 ERA in the second half but missed the Cubs’ first playoff appearance since 2020 with a rib injury.
This season, Horton was amped to get the full major-league experience. It’s a crushing blow not only for him but his teammates. Though his talent stands out, it’s his heart that they admire most.
“The thing that stands out [with Horton] is his mentality, the way he prepares, the way he goes out and the confidence that he has in himself,” left fielder Ian Happ told the Sun-Times. “It’s pretty infectious for the group.”
After Taillon’s second surgery, he reinvented himself. He focused on why the injuries were happening and used the opportunity to learn about his body. He also let go of the expectations that came with his draft status.
“By the point I had my second elbow surgery, I had kind of just come to grips with, like, ‘I’m never going to be Bryce Harper, Manny Machado, who I was drafted around,’ ” Taillon told the Sun-Times. “I have to just carve out my own journey and the expectations of what was doesn’t matter anymore. It’s all about just building a career regardless of where you’re drafted.”
So as Horton faces his second major elbow surgery, Taillon is proof that it can be just a footnote in his career. The injury can be an impediment, not a death knell. Horton is just 24, with a lot of baseball ahead of him, but how he pitches might look different once he returns.
Arduous rehab awaits Horton. The days will be monotonous and isolating, but the reward is returning to the Cubs’ clubhouse. Reliever Hunter Harvey had Tommy John surgery in 2016 and said his immediate thought was, “How am I going to get back to this level?”
“When I was in [Tommy John rehab], there weren’t really days of the week,” Harvey told the Sun-Times. “It just rolls on, and eventually your year’s up. It definitely can be tough, but you ain’t got much of a choice if you want to keep playing. That’s the only bad thing about baseball: We’re doing something we’re not supposed to. We’re not supposed to throw a ball like this.”
Compartmentalizing their sorrow for Horton while knowing they have to move on is part of the job. The Cubs must navigate the season without one of the game’s best young pitchers.
“I’ve been in his shoes plenty of times, and it’s a good feeling knowing that you have guys that are going to pick you up,” Taillon said. “I always hated when I was hurt to say that you move on. You don’t replace Cade. That’s impossible.”