Cubs, Horton encouraged as rookie makes rehab progress

MILWAUKEE -- Cade Horton was out in center field at American Family Field on Monday evening, tossing a football around with teammates. It was a clear sign that the Cubs rookie is feeling like himself more and more as the days go by.

“I also threw a baseball,” Horton quipped ahead of Game 2 of the National League Division Series against the Brewers.

Horton has been playing catch regularly with an uptick in intensity to continue testing his tolerance and recovery from the right rib fracture that landed the righty on the 15-day injured list shortly before the playoffs. His progress reached a point where the Cubs had Horton get back on a mound for a light throwing session on Tuesday at Wrigley Field.

Cubs pitching coach Tommy Hottovy said Monday in Milwaukee that the plan was to have Horton go through a heavier day of throwing during Tuesday’s NLDS off-day workout before the light bullpen session. The righty did so with no issues and threw 15 pitches off the mound.

“I’m encouraged,” Hottovy said Monday. “[Throwing off a mound] is the one thing we haven’t re-tested yet. And hopefully after that, a heavier bullpen by the end of the week to potentially be ready for the next round.”

The Cubs have used a rotation featuring Matthew Boyd, Shota Imanaga and Jameson Taillon to this point in the postseason. Righty Colin Rea is in the bullpen, but also an option behind that group. If the Cubs were to advance and Horton were to return, it is unlikely that he would be able to initially handle a normal starter’s workload. But having Horton available would nonetheless be a boost.

“Everything is going very well for Cade,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. “Every throwing session has been pain-free and pushing it a little bit more. So, we keep trying to take steps forward, and we’ll continue to do that with even more intensity [Tuesday] in Wrigley.”

Horton was technically eligible for activation ahead of a potential Game 5 in this NLDS, but Counsell announced ahead of the series that the rookie would not be coming back in this round. Horton said that news -- while disappointing at first -- allowed him to focus more on his throwing program and rehab work, rather than pushing for a quick return.

“Hopefully there’s not a Game 5,” Horton said. “Hopefully we win this thing and go to the next round and I’m able to go. It’s an understandable move [by Counsell]. It sucks. It stings. But I have a lot of faith in this team and what we’re going to accomplish.”

This season, Horton pitched his way into the NL Rookie of the Year conversation by going 11-4 with a 2.67 ERA in 23 appearances (22 starts), ending with 97 strikeouts and 33 walks in 118 innings. He spun a 1.36 ERA from July on, and led all MLB pitchers (min. 50 innings) with a 1.03 ERA in the second half. Pirates ace and NL Cy Young favorite Paul Skenes was second in that span with a 1.89 ERA.

The rib injury flared during Horton’s outing against the Mets on Sept. 23, when he exited after three innings due to trouble with deep breathing and discomfort between innings. An MRI exam showed the rib fracture -- one theory is that an illness with a bad cough played a role in the injury -- but Horton wanted to try to pitch through the issue.

Horton played catch on Sept. 26-27, but the pain persisted and the Cubs placed him on the 15-day IL (retroactive to Sept. 25). More recently, Horton has been able to throw and recover well for the next day’s workout.

“It’s just stacking good days,” Hottovy said. “Right away when it happened, he’d feel good for a little while and feel terrible the next day. So now, he’s getting to a point where he’s starting to wake up and not feel anything."

Horton has also been encouraged by his progress, but knows the upcoming bullpen session will be an important test.

“I think I’m in a really good spot right now,” Horton said. “I feel good. I’m ready to get off the mound again and really get a feel for where we’re at.”