Nelson ditched his cutter in favor of exclusively throwing a fastball-slider mix, Theo Mackie of the Arizona Republic reports.

EDGE Analysis

Nelson added the cutter during the offseason leading up to 2021 in hopes of showing a third viable pitch, but the results were not good. The left-hander was tagged for a 9.31 ERA across 9.2 innings for Cleveland before being demoted. His performance in the minors was equally discouraging, so the Guardians eventually cut him loose. The Diamondbacks, whose analytics staff was intrigued by the fastball-slider mix, quickly claimed him off waivers. After getting him to scrap the cutter, the 25-year-old pitcher has been a gem out of the bullpen since getting the call from Triple-A Reno. Across 7.2 innings this season, Nelson has not allowed a run on three hits and two walks while striking out eight.