Caleb

Kilian

It’s definitely encouraging how Kilian was used tonight, even if it wasn’t quite a save situation. However, his performance wasn’t great, and fellow closing candidate Keaton Winn turned in a strong seventh for his eighth hold. Ryan Walker did not appear, as it was Matt Gage who had the eighth. Kilian now possesses a 1.59 ERA, while Winn is at 2.76. Kilian will almost certainly be unavailable Saturday after throwing 35 pitches tonight, so maybe Winn or Walker will get a save chance.

Xander Bogaerts hit a two-run homer off him. It’s the fourth straight appearance in which Walker has been scored upon, and his hold on the closer’s role in San Francisco is probably completely gone at this point. That’s good news for Caleb Kilian and Keaton Winn, but with the situation still unsettled and Erik Miller rejoining the mix pretty soon, it’s a tough situation to speculate on in shallow leagues. Kilian might be the best bet. Winn, for what it’s worth, retired two of the three batters he faced after coming into a tie game in the seventh today and was dinged with a run after leaving.

Killian gave up a solo blast to Ramon Laureano, but it came with the Giants holding a 3-1 lead. The 28-year-old right-hander has his first save of the season, but it may not be the last even after giving up the roundtripper. He struck out two, and he now has an excellent 1.13 ERA on the season after giving up the homer with a 20/8 K/BB over 17 innings. It’s something to keep an eye on.

Oliva, whose only major league experience came with the Pirates in 2020 and ’21, really impressed the Giants by hitting .375 and going 14-for-15 stealing bases this spring. The 30-year-old hit .252/.335/.413 for the Brewers’ Triple-A affiliate last year. Not much should be expected here, but given how much he loves stealing bases, there might be the chance of some fantasy value if an outfielder ahead of him gets hurt. Kilian, one of this spring’s biggest surprises thanks to a huge velocity jump, should contend for a setup role in the early going.

Kilian hasn’t made the Giants yet, but it’d be a crime if he doesn’t get a spot. He’s been sitting at 98 mph with his fastball, and he’s allowed one run with an 11/2 K/BB in 9 1/3 innings. If he keeps throwing like this, he might wind up as the Giants’ closer at some point.

If you’re looking for the ultimate 2026 deep sleeper, Kilian might qualify. His fastball has jumped into the 95-97 mph range as a one-inning guy, which might just give him the best stuff in a weak Giants bullpen. He’s still not a lock to make the team at this point, since he’s on a minor league deal and can be reassigned without issue, but if he does, he could quickly find himself in a setup role in front of a rather shaky Ryan Walker.

The 28-year-old hurler missed significant time in 2025 due to injury and wound up logging just 15 2/3 innings (primarily at Triple-A Iowa) where he registered a 7.47 ERA, 1.66 WHIP and a 14/8 K/BB ratio across 15 2/3 innings. If healthy, he could wind up being an interesting bullpen addition for the Giants.

Kilian was injured in his first start for Iowa this season and then got released and re-signed to a minor league deal by the Cubs. Interestingly, he was up to 97.0 mph on average with his fastball in his first game back, topping out at 98.7 mph. Last year, he averaged 93.6 mph in one start and one relief appearance for the Cubs. He could turn into a quality major league reliever if he can stay healthy and maintain that kind of velocity.

The 27-year-old hurler was released last weekend after being designated for assignment, but he has decided that a reunion with the Cubs made the most sense. Kilian will continue to function as extra rotation depth at Triple-A Iowa for the time being.

Kilian was jettisoned from Chicago’s 40-man roster earlier this week and passed through waivers unclaimed. The 27-year-old righty will head to free agency in search of a new opportunity. He’s made eight appearances (five starts) in the majors since the outset of the 2022 campaign.