Hultzen debuted with Triple-A Iowa on June 16 and has struck out three over 1.2 scoreless innings through his first two relief appearances with the affiliate.
The second overall pick in the 2011 first-year player draft, Hultzen was a prized arm in the Seattle organization until a string of shoulder injuries derailed his career. Though he's logged just 28.2 total innings in affiliated ball since 2013, Hultzen said his shoulder finally feels good again, with Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune relaying that the left-hander has regained the mid-90s fastball he displayed during his amateur days at Virginia. Hultzen will still need to find regular success at Triple-A and prove he can bounce back from appearances without any renewed discomfort in his shoulder before any talk of a promotion to the Cubs gains serious traction.