Kyle Nicolas

Kyle Nicolas

27-Year-Old PitcherRP
Cincinnati Reds AAA
2026 Stats
W-L
0-0
ERA
0.00
WHIP
0.00
K
0
SV
0
Rest-of-Season Projections
W-L
ERA
WHIP
K
SV
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2026 Fantasy Outlook
Nicolas possesses some tantalizing skills - he throws in the upper-90s and boasts an outstanding curveball - but he's struggled to produce at the big-league level. Through 98 career innings, the 26-year-old holds a 1.48 WHIP, 12.2 percent walk rate and modest 22.0 percent strikeout rate. Considering he struck out 12.5 batters per nine innings at the Triple-A level, there is room for improvement. Perhaps Nicolas just needs to toss fewer fastballs? The right-hander has thrown his four-seamer 50-plus percent of the time in each of his three seasons, but it hasn't performed particularly well. Meanwhile, Nicolas' curveball (22 percent usage in 2025) stifled opposing hitters, holding them to a .040 batting average and .040 slugging last season; the best marks for that pitch type (minimum 100 thrown). Nicolas' ratios might always be a problem, but he has potential to strike out 100-plus batters in a season if tweaks his pitch percentage. Read Past Outlooks
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RANKS
Rest of Season
From Preseason
#361
ADP
League AAA
Bats R
Throws R
40 Man Yes
Height 6'3"
Weight 205
DOB 2/22/1999
Drafted 2020
Signed a one-year contract with the Reds in March of 2026.
Optioned to Louisville
PCincinnati Reds  AAA
March 22, 2026
Nicolas was optioned to Triple-A Louisville on Sunday.
Analysis
Nicolas will head to Louisville after having appeared in one contest with the Reds during spring training, giving up one run on four walks over two-thirds of an inning. The right-hander was dealt to the Reds in exchange for outfielder Tyler Callihan on March 4, but he ultimately saw limited action during the spring with Cincinnati. Nicolas will now have to wait for his next chance with the major-league roster.
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Pitching Stats
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2025 MLB Game Log
2025
2024
2023
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Minor League Game Log
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Left/Right Pitching Splits
Since 2024
 
 
-25%
BAA vs LHP
2026
No Stats
2025
 
 
-15%
BAA vs LHP
2024
 
 
-31%
BAA vs LHP
BAA Batters K BB H 2B 3B HR
Since 2024vs Left .201 167 36 26 27 8 1 2
Since 2024vs Right .267 243 53 23 58 6 0 5
2026vs Left 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2026vs Right 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2025vs Left .211 70 17 11 12 4 1 0
2025vs Right .247 97 17 7 22 3 0 3
2024vs Left .195 97 19 15 15 4 0 2
2024vs Right .281 146 36 16 36 3 0 2
Home/Away Pitching Splits
Since 2024
 
 
-26%
ERA on Road
2026
No Stats
2025
 
 
-45%
ERA at Home
2024
 
 
-67%
ERA on Road
ERA WHIP IP W L SV K/9 BB/9 HR/9
Since 2024Home 4.86 1.54 50.0 2 0 0 7.4 5.2 0.5
Since 2024Away 3.59 1.34 42.2 1 4 0 10.1 4.2 0.8
2026Home 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2026Away 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2025Home 3.57 1.19 22.2 1 0 0 6.4 3.6 0.4
2025Away 6.46 1.63 15.1 0 2 0 10.6 5.3 1.2
2024Home 5.93 1.83 27.1 1 0 0 8.2 6.6 0.7
2024Away 1.98 1.17 27.1 1 2 0 9.9 3.6 0.7
Minor League Left/Right Pitching Splits (AAA)
Since 2024
 
 
-7%
BAA vs LHP
2026
No Stats
2025
 
 
-4%
BAA vs LHP
2024
 
 
-6%
BAA vs LHP
BAA Batters K BB H 2B 3B HR
Since 2024vs Left .205 94 29 11 17 2 0 1
Since 2024vs Right .220 111 34 18 20 5 0 0
2026vs Left 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2026vs Right 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2025vs Left .242 74 23 8 16 2 0 1
2025vs Right .253 87 27 12 19 4 0 0
2024vs Left .059 20 6 3 1 0 0 0
2024vs Right .063 24 7 6 1 1 0 0
Stat Review
How does Kyle Nicolas compare to other relievers?
This section compares his stats with all relief pitcher seasons from the previous three seasons (minimum 30 innings)*. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that stat and it would be considered average.

* Exit Velocity, Barrels/BBE %, Balls Hit 95+ MPH %, and Spin Rate are benchmarked against 2019 data (min 30 IP). See here for more exit velocity/barrels stats plus an explanation of current limitations with that data set.
  • K/BB
    Strikeout to walk ratio.
  • K/9
    Average strikeouts per nine innings.
  • BB/9
    Average walks per nine innings.
  • HR/9
    Average home runs allowed per nine innings.
  • Fastball
    Average fastball velocity.
  • ERA
    Earned run average. The average earned runs allowed per nine innings.
  • WHIP
    Walks plus hits per inning pitched.
  • BABIP
    Batting average on balls in play. Measures how many balls in play against a pitcher go for hits.
  • GB/FB
    Groundball to flyball ratio. The higher the number, the more likely a pitcher is to induce groundballs.
  • Left On Base
    The percentage of base runners that a pitcher strands on base over the course of a season.
  • Exit Velocity
    The speed of the baseball as it comes off the bat, immediately after a batter makes contact.
  • Barrels/BBE
    The percentage of batted ball events resulting in a Barrel. A Barrel is a batted ball with similar exit velocity and launch angle to past ones that led to a minimum .500 batting average and 1.500 slugging percentage.
  • Spin Rate
    Spin Rate is the rate of spin on a baseball after it is released. It is measured in revolutions per minute (rpm).
  • Balls Hit 95+ MPH
    The percentage of batted balls hit that met or exceeded the 95 MPH threshold.
  • Swinging Strike
    The percentage of pitches that result in a swing and a miss.
K/BB
1.89
 
K/9
8.1
 
BB/9
4.3
 
HR/9
0.7
 
Fastball
97.7 mph
 
ERA
4.74
 
WHIP
1.37
 
BABIP
.298
 
GB/FB
1.20
 
Left On Base
64.9%
 
Exit Velocity
84.3 mph
 
Barrels/BBE
4.2%
 
Spin Rate
2444 rpm
 
Balls Hit 95+ MPH
23.7%
 
Swinging Strike
13.3%
 
Prospect Rankings History
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Defensive Stats
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Stats Vs Today's Lineup
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Reds Depth Chart
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Past Fantasy Outlooks
2024
2023
In most senses, Nicolas had a disappointing 2023 season. He started the campaign by repeating work at Double-A Altoona and had limited success. He was promoted to Triple-A Indianapolis anyway, but after further struggles, he was switched from a starting to relief role. That also didn't prove to be a path to success, but Nicolas was promoted to the major-league roster. That was the positive to his campaign, and he'll now have the chance to compete for a bullpen role in spring training.
Nicolas, acquired by the Pirates as part of the return for Jacob Stallings, has come through the minor leagues as a starter. However, there are a few reasons to be concerned about his potential to stick in that role. First, he relies heavily on a fastball-slider combo and has struggled to find a consistent third pitch. In addition, he has a 5.0 BB/9 across 130 total innings at Double-A across his time with both Miami and Pittsburgh. Given his potential to throw with premium velocity in short stints while possessing the classic pitch mix of a power-throwing reliever, that seems to be the role that Nicolas will likely find himself in upon reaching the majors. It's premature to project saves in his future, but the best-case scenario could be that Nicolas finds himself as a closer in Pittsburgh - or elsewhere - at points in his career.
More Fantasy News
Flipped to Cincinnati
PCincinnati Reds  AAA
March 4, 2026
The Reds acquired Nicolas from the Pirates in exchange for Tyler Callihan on Wednesday.
Analysis
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Activated from bereavement list
PPittsburgh Pirates  AAA
September 5, 2025
The Pirates activated Nicolas from the bereavement list Friday.
Analysis
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Placed on bereavement list
PPittsburgh Pirates  AAA
Personal
August 29, 2025
The Pirates placed Nicolas on the bereavement list Friday.
Analysis
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Back in majors
PPittsburgh Pirates  AAA
August 1, 2025
The Pirates recalled Nicolas from Triple-A Indianapolis on Friday.
Analysis
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Heading back to Triple-A
PPittsburgh Pirates  AAA
June 11, 2025
The Pirates optioned Nicolas to Triple-A Indianapolis on Wednesday.
Analysis
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