Nicasio's spot on the Phillies' Opening Day roster appears safe after Victor Arano and Yacksel Rios were optioned Saturday.

EDGE Analysis

The Phillies have a deep bullpen, but Nicasio always seemed likely to make the team after being acquired from Seattle in December. The veteran stumbled to a 6.00 ERA last season, but his 2.99 FIP told a different story, and he's had a FIP under 3 for three of the last four years. He may be a pitcher whose peripherals always overrate him, as his ERA is 0.73 runs higher than his FIP over the course of his eight-year major-league career, but he should at least provide adequate middle-relief innings for the Phillies this season.