Pirates' Kyle Nicolas: Rejoins Double-A rotation

Nicolas (shoulder) was activated from Double-A Altoona's 7-day injured list Saturday and struck out two over 2.2 innings while giving up two runs on three hits and a walk in his return to the mound.

Nicolas was cleared to make his return to Altoona's active roster as a long reliever after a three-week stint on the shelf with a shoulder injury. The 23-year-old right-hander should slot back into the rotation next week and will take a 4.15 ERA and 1.28 WHIP into his 12th outing of the season with Altoona.