Keeping it short and sweet on a very chilly (and very blustery) Saturday morning:

● The latest setback to befall right-hander Dustin Nippert (strained right rhomboid muscle) could conceivably initate a domino effect that was already beginning to appear plausible. Recurring stiffness precluded Nippert from completing his scheduled throwing session on Friday afternoon, and barring a miraculously quick recovery, Texas will have to seek help elsewhere:

"The only thing that will really heal it is rest, and we don’t have that time right now," said Nippert, who is out of options. "It’s really frustrating. I was throwing the ball well. They’ve got to make decisions, and I’m not on the mound. That makes it frustrating."

The need for another viable right-handed reliever is presumably what incited internal rumblings about shifting sinkerballer Scott Feldman to the bullpen, where his flexibility and resiliency would be best utilized; meanwhile, Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram is reporting that "some within the organization are backing [right-hander] Kris Benson" as the No. 5 starter.

Nippert had seemingly earned a long-relief role on the basis of his ridiculous stuff alone, and while removing him from the equation makes life a lot easier for the likes of Willie Eyre, Warner Madrigal, Josh Rupe and Derrick Turnbow (all of whom could win Opening Day bullpen spots by default), early-season relief depth remains an issue that Feldman could help assuage.

● Remember our little Friday morning discussion about the potential early-season vulnerability of Anaheim and Oakland on the basis of their injury-afflicted starting rotations? Well, Angels right-hander John Lackey (right elbow inflammation) is apparently slated for a date with the 15-day disabled list, which, barring a trade or some creative roster shuffling, will force Anaheim to roll with an Opening Day starting rotation comprising Joe Saunders, Jered Weaver, Dustin Moseley, Nick Adenhart and Shane Loux. Frightened? Me neither.

As for similarly beleaguered Athletics right-hander Justin Duchscherer (right elbow inflammation), arthroscopic surgery that will trim at least six weeks -- if not more -- off the front end of his 2009 campaign has been tentatively scheduled for early next week. That nobody seems to know with any degree of confidence why his elbow continues to flare up seems a tad reminiscent of last spring's Brandon McCarthy debacle, and while it's certainly not a given that the exploratory procedure will reveal a serious underlying cause (e.g. a partial UCL tear), the Athletics are not in a terribly enviable position at the moment with regard to the short-term health of their starting rotation.

Then again, Oakland general manager Billy Beane didn't get to where he is today by sitting on his hands during times of adversity.

● The Fallacy of Spring Training Statistics, Example No. 1,598: Catcher Taylor Teagarden entered Friday evening's nationally televised Cactus League rematch against the Brewers with a paltry .652 OPS (6-for-31). Thanks to a monster 3-for-3 effort that saw the 24-year-old defensive stalwart clear the first three hurdles of the cycle (including a two-out triple clubbed on an 83 mph meatball from Milwaukee starter Dave Bush, a video of which has been embedded below for your baseball edification), Teagarden is suddenly hitting .265/.324/.529 -- production that every single team in Major League Baseball would embrace from one of its backstops:

[Direct link available here.]

Quick Hits: In spite of his torrid 12-for-19 Cactus League run, Texas has informed veteran catcher Adam Melhuse that he will not make the Opening Day roster ... Jim Reeves of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram believes the onus is on the Rangers to hammer out a long-term contract extension with All-Star outfielder Josh Hamilton ... According to general manager Jon Daniels, multiple teams have inquired about outfielder Frank Catalanotto, including one American League team; no offers have yet materialized, however ... Left-hander Derek Holland tossed five innings of one-run baseball in a minor league game on Friday.