Nicolino got hammered in his first appearance of the spring Monday against the Tigers, allowing five runs (four earned) on four hits and a walk while recording only one out.
He was already facing a tough battle to win a spot on the 25-man roster with the Marlins this season, but Nicolino didn't exactly get his Grapefruit League campaign off to a positive start. Expect the soft-tossing lefty to begin 2017 back with Triple-A New Orleans.