Pirates Roster Moves: Kyle Nicolas Recalled; Thomas Harrington Optioned

The Pittsburgh Pirates have recalled right-handed reliever Kyle Nicolas from Triple-A Indianapolis. He takes the place of right-hander Thomas Harrington, who was optioned to Indianapolis.

Nicolas was a surprising roster casualty coming out of spring training after he established himself as a significant contributor out of the Pirates’ bullpen a year ago.

In 51 appearances out of the bullpen last season, Nicolas went 2-2 with a 3.95 ERA, 31 walks and 55 strikeouts in 54.1 innings. He made his debut towards the end of the 2023 season and totaled four appearances on the year.

In four appearances at Triple-A to begin the 2025 season, Nicolas allowed six runs on eight hits with three walks and eight strikeouts in 4.2 innings pitched.

Nicolas is one of four right-handed relief options for the Pirates along with Dennis Santana, Justin Lawrence and Chase Shugart. They are joined by left-handers Caleb Ferguson, Ryan Borucki, Tim Mayza and Joey Wentz.

Harrington made his Major League debut on Apr. 1 as the Pirates’ starting pitcher against the Tampa Bay Rays. In 4.0 innings, Harrington allowed six runs on seven hits, four walks and a pair of strikeouts.

In his second big-league appearance, Harrington became the first Pirates’ pitcher since Jason Christiansen on July 17, 1998 to record a four-inning save. Harrington covered the game’s final four frames in relief of starter Carmen Mlodzinski and allowed three runs in 4.0 innings and struck out five.

He’ll get re-inserted into the starting rotation with Indianapolis. In eight starts last season with Triple-A, Harrington went 5-1 with a 3.33 ERA.