Jordan Wicks expected to make Cubs, MLB debut this weekend

When the Cubs selected Kansas State left-hander Jordan Wicks with the 21st overall pick in the 2021 MLB Draft, pundits and analysts expected his road to Wrigley to be a relatively short one given how cerebral and polished he was on the mound.

Now, just over two years since the Cubs took him with their first-round pick, Wicks looks poised to make his big league debut. According to the Des Moines Register's Tommy Birch, the left-hander is no longer with the Iowa Cubs and, after being scratched from his scheduled start earlier this week, all signs point to him getting the ball this weekend in Pittsburgh.

Cubs: Realistic expectations are key when watching Jordan Wicks

After his latest disastrous start, veteran Drew Smyly is headed back to the bullpen (thankfully) - opening up a spot in the rotation. The bar Wicks would need to clear in order for his debut to be considered an improvement over what the Cubs have gotten from Smyly couldn't be lower. But obviously, you'd like to see him not only clear it - but give the team quality innings, allowing David Ross to give some guys in the bullpen a blow here in the final week of August.

This year with Iowa and Tennessee, Wicks is 7-0 with a 3.55 ERA in 91.1 innings of work. He's made seven starts at Triple-A, pitching to a 3.82 ERA with the I-Cubs. All told, he's got just 193 professional innings under his belt, again, a testament to just how composed and polished this kid was coming out of college. He's not an ace, but he's a guy who can go out and keep you in the ballgame every five days.

The next five weeks could serve as a sort of early audition for the 2024 rotation, which could have as many as three holes to fill this offseason. For now, though, we just want to see Wicks get his feet under him with the Cubs and, hopefully, help them win some ballgames down the stretch.