The Pirates are unsure when Nicasio (personal) might return. "He needs to get back home," manager Clint Hurdle told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "We wanted to work with him. To my understanding it is somewhat open-ended. We've encouraged him to go, contact us sometime next week. Let us know the state of affairs and we'll go from there."

EDGE Analysis

Nicasio was a preseason darling after throwing 16 scoreless Grapefruit League innings. Under the tutelage of pitching coach Ray Searage, the righty was set up for a big year. Unfortunately, left-handed batters -- something he could better avoid as a reliever in 2015 -- have hit him to the tune of .333/.604/.391 in 139 PA. Nicasio is better suited for the bullpen if and when he returns to the Bucs.