SURPRISE, Ariz. -- Rangers left-hander Yohander Mendez will miss the first half of the season with an elbow injury but will not need Tommy John surgery, club officials said Monday.

Mendez, who left Sunday's start in the third inning after a sharp drop in velocity, has a Grade 1 strain of the ulnar collateral ligament an MRI revealed. He will be given six weeks of rest and then re-start a throwing program. He will then need to have his arm built back up in similar form to a full spring training, which would likely take another six weeks.

"I felt something weird," Mendez said. "I'm not worried too much. I do feel better today."

Mendez's velocity dropped from the mid-90s to the 88-89-mph range in the pitches before he came out of the game. Second baseman Rougned Odor also noticed that his pitches were moving in an odd direction and motioned for manager Chris Woodward and athletic trainer Matt Lucero to come to the mound.

Avoiding surgery was the good news for Mendez, but it further reduces the Rangers' options for starting depth. If the Rangers don't add Jason Hammel to the roster, the 36-year-old has said he will not go to Triple-A. That would potentially leave the Rangers with Adrian Sampson and Ariel Jurado as the most likely fill-ins if they should suffer an injury in the starting rotation.

It is likely there will be veteran options cut loose by teams at the end of spring training who could give the Rangers more depth at Triple-A Nashville as the team seeks to ensure that the likes of Taylor Hearn, Joe Palumbo, Jonathan Hernandez and Brock Burke are not exposed to the majors too early.

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