Kilian will start Game 2 of Saturday's doubleheader against the Cardinals, Tim Stebbins of NBC Sports Chicago reports.

EDGE Analysis

The top pitching prospect in the organization, Kilian's arrival in the majors had been expected this summer. He has a 2.20 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 32:12 K:BB in 32.2 innings over his last seven starts at Triple-A. It took him a few starts to establish the mid-90s fastball velocity he finished last year's Arizona Fall League with en route to MVP honors of the championship game. If Kilian performs well in Saturday's start, he could be up for good.

Kilian is expected to join the Cubs' rotation for good at some point this summer, Sahadev Sharma and Patrick Mooney of The Athletic report.

EDGE Analysis

His surface numbers at Triple-A Iowa are excellent, but his 10.1 BB% is a career-worst mark and he only recently started touching the upper-90s with his fastball, which is where that pitch was touching last year in the Arizona Fall League. Kilian has a 1.57 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and career-best 60.8 GB% through seven starts.

Kilian, the Cubs' top pitching prospect, will open the year at Triple-A Iowa, Tommy Birch of the Des Moines Register reports.

EDGE Analysis

The headliner in the return from San Francisco for Kris Bryant and the MVP of the Arizona Fall League championship game, Kilian hadn't pitched in big-league spring training, so it's good to hear that he's healthy and ready for the minor-league season. The Cubs' rotation lacks viable depth, so Kilian could get the call to the majors sometime this summer.

Kilian threw six perfect innings in the AFL Championship Game to lead Mesa to the title on Saturday, winning the Game's MVP Award, William Boor of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Kilian, who came over to the Cubs in the Kris Bryant deal, had struggled in his earlier AFL appearances, including a seven-run outing without retiring a batter in his debut. But on Saturday he struck out eight batters, throwing strikes on 48 of his 68 pitches while topping out at 98 mph.