Nicasio hurled three scoreless innings Friday, allowing three hits and a walk while striking out three.

EDGE Analysis

The righty has thrown six shutout frames in the early going. Pittsburgh is stretching him out as a potential starter and with Ryan Vogelsong and Jeff Locke currently occupying the fourth and fifth starter spots, Nicasio has a decent shot of starting for the Bucs in 2016.

Pirates general manager Neal Huntington said Nicasio will be stretched out during spring training, Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports.

EDGE Analysis

Signed to a one-year, $3 million contract in December, Nicasio will be stretched out for rotation depth and/or a long-relief role. He may also have some shot to make a run at a rotation spot, but such a scenario would likely involve at least one or two key injuries among the Pirates' likely starting pitchers.

Nicasio agreed to a one-year, $3 million contract with the Pirates on Thursday, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports.

EDGE Analysis

While the walks were up significantly for Nicasio in 2015, so were the strikeouts, with his K-rate jumping almost 10 percentage points from 2014 (to 25%). His new approach resulted in a career-best season, as he was able to limit hard contact in addition to missing bat. In fact, he allowed only one home run in 58.1 innings with the Dodgers. He will likely only improve while working with renowned pitching coach Ray Searage.

Nicasio was non-tendered by the Dodgers on Wednesday.

EDGE Analysis

Nicasio pitched 58.1 innings in 2015 and was credited with 14 holds and a save. However, this will be his only year spent with the Dodgers as he will become a free agent for the 2016 offseason.

Updating a previous report, manager Don Mattingly said Sunday that he doesn't want to use Nicasio to start Monday in place of Carlos Frias (back), MLB.com's Ken Gurnick reports. Nicasio certainly made sense as a potential replacement option, but the Dodgers seemingly want to keep him available out of the bullpen Sunday afternoon. If Mattingly sticks to his word, the team will call up a yet-to-be-named pitcher from the minors to take the mound. The team also dismissed the idea of using Brandon Beachy (elbow), who is said to need more time in the minors before joining the big league club.

Nicasio is a likely candidate to fill in for Carlos Frias (back) on Monday against the Phillies, MLB.com's Ken Gurnick reports. Nicasio already has one start under his belt this season, and owns a formidable 2.18 ERA over 33 innings. With Frias landing on the disabled list, he'll potentially serve as a short-term solution, but would likely return to long relief afterwards.

Nicasio (finger) throw a scoreless inning in Sunday's victory over the Padres. Nicasio was sidelined since last Wednesday due to a cracked fingernail, but it appears he is good to go moving forward. Nicasio has been stellar this season, giving up just 22 hits and six earned runs over 26 innings (2.08 ERA) while striking out 29 batters.

Nicasio out his cracked fingernail Friday, throwing in the outfield prior to the game, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports. Nicasio exited Wednesday's game due to the cracked fingernail, leaving his status unclear for Friday's game, but it sounds as though the injury may not be serious. Regardless, Nicasio sees very few save opportunities, leaving his fantasy impact minimal in most formats.

Nicasio left Wednesday's game with a cracked nail on his middle finger, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports. Despite giving a diagnosis for Nicasio, the Dodgers have not released a timetable for his return. This does not seem like a major injury, but he could potentially miss a few games for the Dodgers.

Nicasio left Wednesday's game with an unspecified injury. Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register believes it was a hand/finger injury on his pitching hand. Nicasio faced three batters in Wednesday's game but recorded just one out. Once the Dodgers release an official diagnosis, his status for the next few games will become clearer.