Nova is slated to serve as the fourth starter for the White Sox at the beginning of the regular season, Jack Magruder of The Sports Xchange reports.

EDGE Analysis

Nova will start the year behind Carlos Rodon, Reynaldo Lopez and Lucas Giolito in the starting rotation. Nova is slated to toe the rubber for the first time in 2019 against the Royals on Sunday.

Nova allowed one unearned run on three hits while striking out five over 5.2 innings Thursday against Texas.

EDGE Analysis

Nova threw 78 pitches (52 strikes) and is expected to get one more spring start next Tuesday. The 32-year-old right-hander lived on the edges of the strike zone and has not issued a walk in 16 spring innings. "I'm ready to go right now. I told you guys the other day I'm ready to go," Nova told Scott Merkin of MLB.com. "I feel really good. I felt really good last time. I repeated the same work and it paid off again. I feel strong. I was able to locate my ball the way I wanted to, both sides of the plate, righties and lefties. A good day overall." Nova is on schedule to start he third game of the season, March 31, in Kansas City.

Nova introduced a cutter Saturday, a pitch he hasn't thrown since undergoing Tommy John elbow surgery in 2014, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports. The right-hander allowed two runs on four hits while striking out three over 4.1 innings against the Dodgers.

EDGE Analysis

Nova allowed a home run to Clint Barnes with the cutter, but he declared it will be a useful addition to his arsenal. The 31-year-old said has a 6.97 ERA over 10.1 innings and said he's ready for the season to begin. He'll get at least one more start to get his pitch count up to the point where he could pitch six innings.

Nova allowed six runs (five earned) on nine hits while striking out four in Monday's game against Milwaukee.

EDGE Analysis

Most pitchers find the positive in such a spring outing but not Nova, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports. "Location wasn't there, command wasn't there," Nova said. "You want to do good. You want to get ready -- get ready the right way. Giving up runs isn't fun even in Spring Training." After a scoreless first inning, it all backed up on the right-hander. He was charged with a balk in the second inning, gave up a two-run home run in the third, then ceded a three-run bomb in the fourth and hit a batter. In two Cactus League starts, the 32-year-old Nova has allowed seven runs (six earned) on 10 hits.

Nova allowed one run on one hit over 2.2 innings in Friday's game against the Rangers.

EDGE Analysis

Nova made his White Sox debut and hurled more innings than other starters at this point of camp. Six of his eight outs came via the groundball, which is a positive sign for a pitcher that works in the zone. Home runs have been Nova's bane the last few seasons, so pitching down in the zone is where he needs to be.

Nova was traded by the Pirates to the White Sox on Tuesday, pending a medical review, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

EDGE Analysis

Pittsburgh's return is not yet clear. The White Sox will hope that Nova can help stabilize the back of the rotation as the team attempts to head towards competitiveness. "Stable" seems to adequately describe the 31-year-old, who has posted three straight seasons with an ERA between 4.14 and 4.19. He won't strike out many players (just a 16.7 percent strikeout rate in each of the last two seasons), but his consistency makes him a useful option in deep leagues.

Nova didn't factor into the decision in Wednesday's 7-6 extra-inning loss to the Cubs, surrendering six runs (five earned) on eight hits and two walks over four innings while striking out three.

EDGE Analysis

The Pirates took him off the hook for his 10th loss of the season with a late rally, but otherwise it was a disappointing end to the season for Nova. The 31-year-old finishes 2018 with a 4.19 ERA and 1.28 WHIP, remarkably similar numbers to his 2016 (4.17/1.25) and 2017 (4.14/1.28) performances.

Nova (9-9) picked up the win Saturday, allowing one run on four hits and a walk over six innings while striking out four in a 3-1 victory over the Brewers.

EDGE Analysis

The right-hander delivered his fifth quality start in his last six trips to the mound, lowering his ERA to 4.07 in the process -- the lowest it's been since the end of June. Nova will look to keep things rolling in his next start Friday, a home rematch against the Brewers.

Nova (8-9) earned the win against the Marlins on Saturday by allowed three hits over six shutout innings. He struck out nine and walked one.

EDGE Analysis

Nova allowed only a single runner to reach second base on the afternoon, which only occurred because of a wild pitch. The 31-year-old has a 4.17 ERA and 1.27 WHIP over 146.2 innings, and next lines up to start Thursday at Milwaukee.

Nova (personal) is listed as the Pirates' probable starter for Saturday's game against the Marlins.

EDGE Analysis

It's still not entirely clear if Nova has rejoined the Pirates after missing his last turn through the rotation to tend to a personal matter, but the team's decision to include him among their probable starters suggests that he's expected back over the weekend. With Nova's return on the horizon, Nick Kingham will likely prepare for a bullpen role after limiting the Braves to one run over five innings in a spot start Sunday.