A large part of the fun of being a baseball fan is whether your team wins or loses, you wake up with some level of optimism for that next day’s game. Unfortunately, today is not one of those days for us Cubs fans, given Cade Horton’s injury in yesterday’s loss to the Guardians that forced him out in the 2nd inning.
Yeah, sure, we’ll watch today’s game and hopefully find ourselves able to enjoy it, but that will happen with the dark cloud of Horton’s injury in our hearts and minds. Baseball, man…
"I just wanted to err on the cautious side and try not to hurt anything else … I wanted to make a mature decision and end it there."Cade Horton is still optimistic after exiting today's game early. pic.twitter.com/X0I3igBNSS
— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) April 3, 2026 Finally, for now, assuming Colin Rea slides into the rotation for Horton is plenty fair, but there are other options worth entertaining, and Jacob details five of them this morning.Colin Rea Leads Cubs' Rotation Options After Cade Horton's Injury t.co/15jmJe4m89
— Bleacher Nation (@BleacherNation) April 4, 2026 The attention we can offer towards tonight’s game begins with Shota Imanaga making his second start. Shota’s season-opening start against the Nationals at Wrigley Field came with hitter-friendly conditions, and Joey Wiemer, who played like a Hall of Famer in that series, launched a three-run homer in the first inning. The damage was limited afterwards, and Shota finished: 5.0IP, 6H, 4ER, 2BB, 7K. His velocity remained up as we saw it in spring training, and there was enough swing-and-miss with the off-speed offerings to prevent any panic button pushing.Chicago Cubs' starting pitcher Shota Imanaga weirdly struggled with control (39% ball rate), but elicited a 20.7% swinging-strike rate (SwK). ?️Most of Imanaga's whiffs came via the splitter (32.1% SwK) and sweeper (50% SwK) on Sunday against the Nationals.?Imanaga's sweeper… pic.twitter.com/8auOYjqkzr
— Corbin (@corbin_young21) March 30, 2026 In the category of positive injury news, Seiya Suzuki made a rehab start last night in Double-A with the Tennessee Smokies. He started in right field and batted second in the lineup, finishing 1-for-2 with an RBI on a sac fly and a strikeout before being subbed out in the 6th inning. The game cast also had him making a catch in the top of the 4th on a “sharp line drive.” Come back soon, Seiya!Suzuki’s first Smokies at bat ?#SmokiesBaseball pic.twitter.com/CUBZFDmB3R
— Knoxville Smokies (@smokiesbaseball) April 3, 2026 The too-early takeaway from the minor league regular season beginning is Cubs prospect Josiah Hartshorn being in hot pursuit of Top-100 status. Hartshorn reached base five times in his professional debut Thursday night with the Myrtle Beach Pelicans and followed it up last night with a 2-for-4 performance that included a walk, three runs scored, and his first home run. Between what we’ve seen already from the 2025 6th round pick, combined with the fact the Cubs gave him a $2 million signing bonus and record above-slot deal for a 6th rounder, I can’t help but wonder if Hartshorn is capable of playing his way to a prospect status that draws anywhere near what a Kris Bryant or Kyle Schwarber’s was. I’ll settle for less, but I don’t know if anyone can accurately say just what his potential is right now.Broke: Josiah Hartshorn might eventually become a top-100 prospect. Woke: Josiah Hartshorn is already a top-100 prospect. t.co/iUgKv5JhI6
— Brett Taylor (@Brett_A_Taylor) April 4, 2026 Michael posted homeruns from James Triantos and Jefferson Rojas in their respective minor league games last night. After hitting his first homerun of the season on Thursday, Triantos hit a pair of dingers last night in the I-Cubs 7-2 win at Louisville, as did the rehabbing Chas McCormick. Meanwhile, Rojas’ first homerun of the season came in the first inning of the Smokies 9-6 win against Birmingham with Seiya Suzuki on base.Prospect Homers: James Triantos Goes Deep in 2nd Straight Game, Jefferson Rojas Joins Him! t.co/RLF7vy5o7v pic.twitter.com/zyN1pkgfTm
— Bleacher Nation (@BleacherNation) April 4, 2026 Not to be lost amid the homerun highlights on the farm last night, Will Sanders tossed a gem in Iowa’s win: 6.0IP, 6H, 2ER, 2BB, 7K.Will Sanders through two starts:9.2 IP | 13 K | 3 BB | 2.79 ERA33.3% Whiff%He’s leaned on his four-seamer/splitter mix and it’s been effective early. pic.twitter.com/K3HuGEM5mu
— Carson Wolf (@TheWrigleyWire) April 4, 2026 We know velocity has been on a steady climb for years, but this graph from Lance Brozdowski illustrates just how steep and steady it’s been since 2008. Which leaves me wondering whether we see average velocity surpass 99 or 100mph before likely injury rates provoke a reining in of the velocity-at-all-costs biomechanics that are taught league-wide nowadays.Here's a graph of four-seam fastball velocity for MLB RHPs since 2008. (h/t @enosarris) Pretty notable rate-of-growth change since 2019.If that pace sticks, we'll surpass 96 mph by 2029. ? pic.twitter.com/siDhJbltM5
— Lance Brozdowski (@LanceBroz) April 3, 2026 At High-A, the South Bend Cubs had their season-opener postponed last night due to poor weather, and despite that postponement, there was still heated competition on the ball diamond.No. 6 @Cubs prospect Kane Kepley rips a backside double with an elite dodge at the end of the play. He’s 2-for-2 in his High-A (kickball) debut. ?We’re having fun in South Bend with Opening Day on hold until tomorrow! pic.twitter.com/NINyoQXB5w
— Tyler Reidy (@TylerJReidy) April 3, 2026MORE CUBS FROM BLEACHER NATION: Go Ad Free | Subscribe to the BN Newsletter
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