As time invariably dwindled away for outfielder Andruw Jones to make a final decision on his future in the Texas Rangers organization (and to reiterate a key point from our Wednesday discussion, what incentive does he really have to eschew his March 20th opt-out clause when the general manager himself has acknowledged that Andruw won't crack the Opening Day roster?), a new, unforeeseen bullpen wrinkle spontaneously materialized, as right-hander Dustin Nippert fell victim to stiffness in his right rhomboid muscle (shoulder blade) during his third inning of relief work against the Athletics on Thursday afternoon and was summarily lifted in favor of relief counterpart Brian Gordon.

If the ailment sounds vaguely familiar, that's because right-hander Brendan Donnelly was beset by a similar, but presumably not identical right rhomboid muscle strain sometime after his February 23rd intrasquad relief appearance, resulting in his temporary abstinence from pitching activities; he would not make his first official Cactus League appearance until March 6th. We have no indication yet of the severity of Nippert's medical setback (he'll be re-evaluated later today), but any sort of lingering health issue at this point in camp could prompt Texas to play it safe and retroactively utilize the 15-day disabled list.

Complicating matters is Nippert's lack of minor league options, for as maddeningly inconsistent and strike-averse as the 27-year-old flamethrower might be, he's also the sort of live-armed, alluring entity that some enterprising general manager would have no problem stashing away at the back of his bullpen and handing over to his major league coaching staff as a pet project.

Right-handers Willie Eyre (?!) and Warner Madrigal have reportedly been making strides towards locking in Opening Day roster spots, a tandem which would comprise the heart of the Rangers bullpen alongside left-handers Eddie Guardado and C.J. Wilson -- the latter of whom tossed approximately 40 pain-free pitches during his live batting practice session on Thursday, and has deemed himself ready to return to game action -- and closer Frank Francisco.

Assuming that Nippert's injury is nothing more than a temporary hindrance and that his solid, albeit meaningless spring numbers have secured him a job, right-handers Brendan Donnelly, Josh Rupe and Derrick Turnbow would be left to squabble over a single roster spot, and even if Texas elects to equip an eight-man bullpen from the outset, the need for a fifth starter will arise as soon as April 12th and consequently force the discharge of one reliever. The evaluative period is short, but the stakes are reasonably high, and unless further attrition makes the Rangers' decision conveniently easy for them, it's probable that whomever catches fire at just the right time during this upcoming fortnight will ultimately prevail.