The S-T today has a piece on some shuffling going on in the minors, which seems to be attributable to the bullpen problems and exacerbated by the news that Frankie Francisco is out for the year...
Wilfredo Rodriguez is going up to AAA, apparently so Jason Standridge can start working out of the pen in case he's needed in the major league pen. Kam Loe is also apparently being considered for pen work, along with Kelvin Jimenez, who has been moved from AA to AAA.
The most intriguing possibility is Juan Dominguez. Like Loe, Dominguez is already on the 40 man roster, so adding him would not necessitate clearing a spot on the 40 man roster. And Dominguez's main problem -- aside from his maturity issues -- has been his lack of a good breaking ball to go with his solid fastball and terrific change.
Generally, you need three pitchers to succeed as a starter, but a good two-pitch pitcher can be an effective reliever. Dominguez seems ideally suited to pitch out of the pen, and I'd like to see the Rangers take a look at him in that role. Dominguez was limited to two innings in his last start for Frisco, apparently to keep him fresh in case the big club needs him.
The Rangers' pen this season, of course, has been a huge Achilles heel. Cordero has pitched well, but the rest of the setup men have struggled mightily. Almanzar and Brocail are the two biggest culprits, and although I think Almanzar is a solid bet to bounce back, I never had much faith that Brocail was going to be a solid contributor to the pen this year, and if he continues to struggle, I think Dominguez may get a shot.