Dickey is confirmed as the Braves' starter Saturday at the Pirates, Stephen J. Nesbitt of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

EDGE Analysis

The knuckleballer was swapped with Mike Foltynewicz for this weekend's assignment. He'll work in pitcher-friendly PNC Park, so perhaps it's worth using him in deeper fantasy leagues as a streaming option.

Dickey gave up two runs on seven hits and a walk while striking out three over six innings during Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Mets.

EDGE Analysis

Michael Conforto touched him up for a solo home run in a rough first inning, but the knuckleballer settled down after that and retired 12 of the last 13 batters he faced. Dickey is set to take the mound for the Braves' fourth game of the season, but will get in one more spring start before then.

Dickey gave up six runs (four earned) on six hits and three walks while striking out three over 5.2 innings during Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Marlins.

EDGE Analysis

While it was at least his longest outing so far this spring, Dickey's inability to get the ball past hitters is becoming alarming. The 42-year-old now carries a 7.20 ERA through 15 innings, a number that would be even more bloated if not for seven unearned runs across four starts, and his 8:8 K:BB doesn't offer much of a rebuttal. The knuckleballer has generally been a poor spring performer in his career -- in fact, he's only had a Grapefruit League ERA below 5.00 once in the last five years -- but after a disappointing 2016 campaign, the poor March numbers mark him as a pitcher at best only worth a late-round dart in very deep fantasy formats.

Dickey allowed six runs (five earned) on eight hits and two walks while striking out three in 4.1 innings during Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Tigers.

EDGE Analysis

The Atlanta defense has been letting him down all spring -- Dickey's been saddled with five unearned runs through three appearances -- but there are only so many excuses that can be made for a 7.71 ERA and 2.14 WHIP. The Braves are counting on the veteran knuckleballer to at least supply them with consistent innings in 2017, but after losing his spot in the Blue Jays' rotation late last season, Dickey could suffer a similar fate this year if he continues to struggle and some of the club's younger arms are making noise for Triple-A Gwinnett.

Dickey coughed up five runs (two earned) on five hits and two walks in three innings during Saturday's split-squad game against the Marlins.

EDGE Analysis

The veteran knuckleballer isn't going to lose any sleep over a bad outing in early March, but better efforts from Dickey as the spring progresses might help make him something more than a late-round dart in deep fantasy formats.

Dickey allowed two runs (one earned) on two hits and a walk over two innings, striking out two, in Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Tigers.

EDGE Analysis

The 42-year-old is coming off his worst season since developing his knuckleball and becoming a full-time starter, posting a 4.46 ERA and 1.37 WHIP in 2016, but the move back to the NL East should help temper those ratios. The Braves aren't counting on Dickey for anything more than a regular turn in the rotation, but with a young and improving lineup supporting him, he could still have real value in deeper NL-only formats.

Dickey signed a one-year contract with the Braves on Thursday, David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. The deal includes a team option for 2018.

EDGE Analysis

The knuckleballer will return to the National League for his age-42 season after four years in Toronto. Dickey's 2016 season was one to forget, as he was saddled with 15 losses and posted a 4.46 ERA and 1.37 WHIP -- his highest marks since 2009. He was skipped several times down the stretch and ultimately moved to the bullpen late in the season, but the rebuilding Braves should be content to let Dickey eat innings in the rotation all year long.

Dickey (10-15), making his first relief appearance as a member of the Jays, took the loss Wednesday versus the Orioles.

EDGE Analysis

Dickey hadn't come out of the bullpen since he played for the Mets back in 2012, but there's been plenty of talk in recent weeks about relegating him to a reliever role for the rest of 2016. It's unclear whether his appearance in Wednesday's game was because the veteran has officially joined the bullpen, or rather he was simply needed as result of the game going 12 innings. A knuckleball hurler isn't exactly the prototypical reliever, so moving Dickey out of the starting rotation would result in an insignificant role, one not worthy of fantasy ownership.

Dickey may be moved to the bullpen for the final three weeks of the regular season, MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Although Dickey currently isn't on the starter's schedule, the decision to move him permanently to the bullpen is not set in stone. Toronto went with a six-man rotation for most of August, but the club has since placed the knuckleballer and Francisco Liriano in the bullpen for brief stints. The reality is that there is not room for both starters with less than three weeks remaining and the club will have to pick one. Liriano is a realistic option to be utilized out of the bullpen while Dickey likely would go unused in that role. On the other hand, Dickey's outings require the light-hitting Josh Thole to start behind the plate, and with the offense struggling to score runs of late, that becomes even more problematic. With Liriano on the hill for Saturday's game, owners should soon have a better idea of what the future holds.

Dickey (10-14) tossed five scoreless innings in Friday's 5-0 win over the Angels, allowing seven hits and one walk while striking out five.

EDGE Analysis

Dickey's knuckler was dancing Friday night, as he threw 54 of his 72 pitches for strikes and kept the Angels' hitters off-balance. Manager John Gibbons gave him a quick hook, however, after he allowed consecutive singles to open the bottom of the sixth. Dickey might have been given more rope earlier in the season, but Gibbons wasn't messing around with Toronto nursing a 2-0 lead in a playoff race. The 41-year-old is likely headed back to the bullpen, as his next start has not been scheduled, though he may be called into action again with the Blue Jays battling for their second straight division title.