ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Edinson Volquez smiled.

At least somebody could.

The risks of the Tommy John-tainted Rangers' rotation became all too real Friday when it was announced Volquez had a "sprained right elbow" after two starts. It is very possible the injury amounts to a third tear of his ulnar collateral ligament. If so, his career is done.

"I will go home, play a little golf, enjoy the money, watch my daughter grow up," he said with a laugh. "If something bad has happened, I won't do this again. I don't think I can. I've done everything I wanted in baseball. I'd have no complaints."

Volquez, who turns 36 in July, has pitched in the big leagues since 2005. He has a no-hitter. He has a World Series ring. He can happily retire.

Before he gets to that point, though, he will have an MRI in Arlington next week. He said Friday that the elbow and forearm don't "feel too good." He and the Rangers will then have a better idea of whether it's something relatively minor or if it, as feared, is more damage to the twice-replaced ligament that is so crucial to a pitcher's career.

In the meantime, the Rangers' plans for their starting rotation hang in the balance. They are quickly approaching the crisis situation they wanted to avoid this year, which is basically this: The possibility of having to call up a top prospect before being comfortable that his development has been finished.

For now, the Rangers plan to insert Adrian Sampson into the rotation to replace Volquez. Thanks to a pair of off days in the next week, they can use Sampson as a long relief option for Drew Smyly and Shelby Miller, two other guys coming back from Tommy John and on early-season pitch-count limits, over the weekend and then drop him into the rotation next Saturday against Oakland.

It is the longer term that is the concern.

Volquez is the third significant injury already from among the club's pool of starting pitchers. Yohander Mendez strained his UCL early in spring training. Luke Farrell suffered a broken jaw and is yet to return to throwing. The Rangers' buffer between having to call on a prospect such as Taylor Hearn or Brock Burke now consists of Sampson and Ariel Jurado. Sampson, 27, had an impressive spring; Jurado most definitely did not.

Hearn and Burke each pitched season openers for Triple-A Nashville and Double-A Frisco on Thursday and were sharp. They were part of quartet of minor league opening day starters who combined to allow no walks in 172/3 innings. There is hope that both could pitch in the majors before the season is out. Perhaps Joe Palumbo and Jonathan Hernandez, too.

But not now. And not soon.

In the perfect world, they'd be ready for the second half of the season, sometime after the All-Star break but before the September expansion of rosters. What the Rangers hoped to do this season was insulate them for a half a season to allow for growth. They want to be done with the days of rushing pitchers to the big leagues.

"Ideally, we'd like to stick with the plan to give these guys development time," assistant general manager Josh Boyd said.

"But if you were to call up Taylor Hearn, he'd be like 'Bring it on,'" Rangers manager Chris Woodward said. "If that happens, I would love to hand the ball to Taylor Hearn. He showed a lot against our ballclub [in an exhibition at the end of spring training]. He's a beast. He wants the ball. If that were the case, if we got there, that's what we would have to do."

Volquez's injury is a reminder that you don't get much warning about these kinds of things. He was throwing 95 mph during spring training and hit 97. He said Wednesday he felt a little off -- not sore; "off" -- but wanted to pitch. His velocity, however, was down sharply. It had been 93.4 mph in his first start but was 91 Thursday. Before the fourth inning, he told Woodward he was capable of one more inning. He gave it to the Rangers.

"I felt like I could throw 100 and then I turned around and looked at the scoreboard and it said '89,'" Volquez said. "And I was like 'Come and get me bro.'"

He laughed at that. Then went out to shag fly balls using a comically oversized glove.

Whatever the outcome, Volquez will be OK.

Not sure the same can be said for the Rangers' plans.

Twitter: @Evan_P_Grant