Joe Barlow optioned to AAA Round Rock

The Texas Rangers have optioned reliever Joe Barlow to AAA Round Rock, per the beats.

This qualifies, I guess, as a mild surprise, as Barlow was seen as one of six pitchers whose spots in the bullpen were relatively safe. Barlow has not been sharp this spring, however, and his velocity has been down, and so he will be starting the season in the minors.

Right now, the Rangers have Jose Leclerc, Jonathan Hernandez, Will Smith, Taylor Hearn and Brock Burke as pretty close to locks. With the rotation full and Jake Odorizzi set to start the season on the injured list, that leaves three spots available in the bullpen (assuming the Rangers carry the maximum number of allowed pitchers — 13 — on the…