Chicago Cubs place RHP Cade Horton on the 15-day IL with a rib injury

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CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Cubs placed Cade Horton on the 15-day injured list on Saturday, sidelining the right-hander for their first-round playoff series against San Diego.

Horton, one of the leading contenders for NL Rookie of the Year, has a right rib fracture. The IL move was made retroactive to Thursday.

The loss of Horton is a big blow for Chicago going into its first postseason appearance since 2020. The 24-year-old Horton, a first-round pick in the 2022 amateur draft, is 8-1 with a sparkling 1.03 ERA in 12 starts since the All-Star break.

Horton threw on the field before the Cubs’ game against St. Louis on Saturday. He was slated to throw a bullpen session Sunday before the IL move was announced.

Horton pitched three innings against the New York Mets on Tuesday before departing because of back tightness. He was sick after his previous start and was coughing, leading to issues with his back and ribs, manager Craig Counsell said.

Horton was “on track still,” but an MRI showed “some areas of concern” in the ribs, Counsell said Thursday.

Going into Saturday's action, Chicago had a magic number of one for clinching the top NL wild card and home-field advantage in the first round. The Cubs and Padres play Game 1 of their best-of-three series on Tuesday.

Horton is 11-4 with a 2.67 ERA in 22 starts and one relief appearance.

In a corresponding move, the Cubs recalled left-hander Jordan Wicks from Triple-A Iowa. Wicks is 0-1 with a 7.94 ERA in seven appearances with Chicago this season.

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