SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Days after being optioned to Triple-A Iowa, right-hander Caleb Kilian took the mound for the Cubs on Monday against the Diamondbacks at Salt River Fields.

Right-hander Jameson Taillon was lined up to pitch, but he already had faced the Diamondbacks once this spring and is likely to make his first regular-season start in the four-game series in Phoenix that opens the Cubs’ domestic schedule.

So instead of giving the Diamondbacks another look at Taillon, the Cubs had him throw a simulated game at their spring-training complex in Mesa and gave the ball to Kilian. He allowed three runs and four hits in 2 1/3 innings.

‘‘[Kilian] just needs to be healthy and perform,’’ manager Craig Counsell said during the weekend. ‘‘He’s in that stage of his career. He got off to a great start in spring last year, [then] had a significant injury. By the end of the year, [he] kind of got himself straightened out and obviously back to the big leagues.’’

Three games into Kilian’s impressive spring last season, he strained a muscle in his right shoulder and began the season on the 60-day injured list.

Kilian made two major-league starts at the end of the season. He touched 97.4 mph in both, but his fastball averaged less than 94 mph.

‘‘Caleb’s velocity has fluctuated a lot during his career,’’ Counsell said. ‘‘He set a really high bar last spring of what he can get to. He’s not there right now, but he hadn’t been there before, either. So that’s a tough question to answer. . . . He’s a healthy pitcher. But when you flash 100 [mph], that piques everybody’s interest, there’s no doubt about it.’’

Kilian topped out at 96.8 mph Monday, according to Statcast, and his fastball averaged 95.4 mph, suggesting progress.

Taillon skirts Diamondbacks

Taillon pitched three innings in an all-but-empty Sloan Park. Minor-leaguers, Cubs staff and a few scattered reporters dotted the seats behind home plate.

‘‘On one hand, you never want to give a team extra looks,’’ Taillon said of avoiding a second spring start against the Diamondbacks. ‘‘And then on the other hand, if you execute good pitches, it really shouldn’t matter that much. But I was all on board with doing this and not giving them an extra look.’’

With Cubs minor-leaguers on both sides, Taillon faced 12 batters and threw about 55 pitches.

‘‘Today is one of those days I just wanted to push the pitch count and push the intensity a little bit,’’ Taillon said. ‘‘I’m working on a lot of stuff behind the scenes. Then when I’m in a game, even in that environment, I try to kick it out. I did throw a few changeups. Still working on it. Just kind of go out there and get into compete mode.’’

Crow-Armstrong scratched

The Cubs scratched center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong from the lineup because of tightness in his right hamstring. They characterized the move as precautionary.

Diamondbacks 10, Cubs 2

Gage Workman and Nicky Lopez led the Cubs with two hits apiece. Workman also contributed an RBI, and Lopez scored a run. Each qualified as a hometown kid in a different way. Workman is from nearby Chandler, Arizona, and went to school at Arizona State. Lopez is from Naperville and is representing a city team for the second consecutive year after playing for the White Sox last season.

• Reliever Tyson Miller, who had a 2.15 ERA with the Cubs last season and earned manager Craig Counsell’s trust in high-leverage situations, allowed four runs in two-thirds of an inning. His spring ERA ballooned to 27.00.

• On deck: Padres at Cubs, 2:05 p.m. Tuesday, Mesa, Marquee, Matt Waldron vs. Shota Imanaga.