Going into the season, the Chicago Cubs’ starting pitching depth was projected to be a strength for the team. That depth is immediately going to be put to the test, as it was announced on Tuesday that starter Cade Horton will undergo season-ending elbow surgery. Prior to that announcement, on Monday, the Cubs placed starter Matthew Boyd on the 15-day IL due to a bicep strain. So, after just 11 games this season, the Cubs starting rotation looks drastically different than it did on opening day, with two of their most important arms on the shelf. With still a whole baseball season to play, what options do the Cubs have for their starting rotation?

• Opening Day Rotation:
• Matt Boyd
• Cade Horton
• Shota Imanaga
• Edward Cabrera
• Jameson Taillon

• Starting Rotation Now:
• Edward Cabrera
• Shota Imanaga
• Jameson Taillon
• Javier Assad
• Colin Rea

Ride the horses they have

Again, the starting pitching was supposed to be a strength for the Cubs, meaning they have depth. Are those options as good as Horton, who looked like he was budding into the Cubs’ ace of the rotation? No, they aren’t. But Javier Assad and Colin Rea can be serviceable assets on the mound for the Cubs. They have shown that in the past and they have already shown that early on this season.

When Boyd was put on the IL, the Cubs recalled Assad from Triple-A to make his first start of the season on Tuesday against the Tampa Bay Rays. Assad gave the Cubs 5.2 innings of one-hit, shutout baseball in which he retired the first 12 batters he faced. He left with a 5-0 lead in the 6^th inning with three strikeouts and two free passes. He may find himself taking the ball every fifth day for the Cubs if he keeps pitching like that.

Assad has been here before and found himself in a starting role for the Cubs back in 2024. He tied Shota Imanaga for a team-high 29 games started, where he posted a 3.73 ERA. His 147 innings were the third most on the team and he struck out 124 batters in comparison to 63 walks. His games started and innings pitched were both career-highs for the right-hander. If he’s fully healthy and pitching well, we could see a season similar to 2024.

With Assad hurt in 2025, Rea assumed his role in the rotation and pitched quite similarly. He made 27 starts and gave the Cubs 159.1 innings while posting a 3.95 ERA. He fared a bit better with his command, striking out 127 batters while surrendering just 44 free passes.

Rea has not made a start yet this season, but he has already been thrown into the fire. He came on in relief for Horton in the game he got injured. In that outing against the Cleveland Guardians, he threw 3.1 innings of one-run baseball. He gave up four hits and struck out four batters. The right-hander also has a save this season as he pitched three innings in a blowout 7-2 win against the Los Angeles Angels. Rea surrendered four hits in that appearance, including a two-run homer, but he struck out four while not allowing a walk.

Wait for reinforcements

In the short term, Boyd will be back. His bicep strain is not said to be anything serious and if he needed to pitch through it, he could. But if all goes well and there aren’t any setbacks, Boyd could be back in the rotation by the third week of April. That would be the best-case scenario and then either Rea or Assad could move to the bullpen, or they could alternate to make spot starts.
From there, the Cubs are hoping that they will get Justin Steele back healthy towards the end of May or early June. Before the Horton injury, there wasn’t necessarily a rush for Steele to rejoin the rotation so quickly. But now, Steele’s return would be a huge shot in the arm for the Cubs’ rotation. Before he got hurt, the left-hander was looking like the ace of the Cubs’ staff. He was an All-Star in 2023 and in his career, he’s made 91 starts, pitching to the tune of a 3.30 ERA. If Steele comes back and looks anything like that guy, he’ll be the Cubs’ savior for the starting rotation.

Make a big move

If the Cubs wanted to go another route, they could make a splash and sign the top free agent starting pitcher available, Lucas Giolito. This move would cost the Cubs some money, but they wouldn’t have to trade away any prospects. Giolito put together one of his better seasons in 2025. He made 26 starts and posted a 3.41 ERA for the Boston Red Sox. I don’t know how much money he wants or why he remains unsigned, but if he’s healthy the Cubs should look to sign him to a one-year deal.  The Cubs need a starting pitcher, and he makes a lot of sense.