This story was excerpted from Jordan Bastian's Cubs Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

CHICAGO -- The competitor within Cade Horton wanted to find a way to get back on the mound as quickly as possible last season. The people around the Cubs¡¯ top pitching prospect helped him keep the big picture in mind and he knew the right approach was patience.

At Cubs Convention this past weekend, the 23-year-old Horton ¨C ranked as Pipeline¡¯s No. 3 Cubs prospect and the No. 42 on the Top 100 list ¨C had put last season¡¯s injury (a Grade 2 strain of a muscle behind his right shoulder) behind him. He has already resumed light throwing off a mound and is on target for a normal Spring Training.

¡°That¡¯s the blessing about missing the rest of the year,¡± said Horton, who focused on recovery and rehab after just nine outings between Double-A and Triple-A across April and May last season. ¡°I¡¯m feeling good and ready to go.¡±

Selected with the seventh overall pick in the 2022 Draft, Horton looked to be on a swift path to the big leagues last season before his injury flared and stalled his campaign.

The right-hander breezed through four starts with Double-A Tennessee (1.65 ERA with 18 strikeouts and two walks in 16 1/3 innings) and then got the call to Triple-A Iowa. His five-start stint for the I-Cubs included a 7.50 ERA and 11 walks in 18 innings before being shut down with the injury.

That development came after Horton cruised through Single-A, High-A and Double-A in his first full season in the Cubs¡¯ system in ¡®23. That summer, the righty spun a 2.65 ERA with 117 strikeouts against 27 walks in 88 1/3 innings (21 starts). He hoped to build on that showing last season with the big leagues in his sights.

¡°I¡¯m always a guy that¡¯s wanting to go until I break,¡± Horton said. ¡°So, [it was important] having those people around me to be like, ¡®No, let¡¯s do the smart thing. You have a whole career ahead of you.¡¯ That¡¯s what I really learned is you should say something and get right.¡±

Given the nature of his ¡®24 season, Horton is likely ticketed for Triple-A Iowa to start this year. He will once again have reaching the big leagues as a goal, and the pitcher is open-minded about whether that means helping the rotation or bullpen.

¡°I¡¯m just wanting to find a seat on the plane and help my team win,¡± Horton said. ¡°That¡¯s my job at the end of the day -- to go out there and get outs. Whether that be in the bullpen, whether that be starting, it really doesn¡¯t matter to me. I just want to help the Chicago Cubs win. That¡¯s my goal.¡±