Nicolino was optioned to Triple-A New Orleans on Tuesday, MLB.com's Joe Frisaro reports.
He made a late push to open the season in the big-league rotation, but will instead offer depth at Triple-A to start the year. Nicolino has nearly zero fantasy appeal, as he has a career 9.3 percent strikeout rate in the major leagues, which would have ranked dead last by a wide margin among qualified starters last season.