Kirkman will miss a few days with a shoulder impingement, Anthony Andro of Fox Sports Southwest reports.Since it's the shoulder, this could be nothing, or it could be the beginning of a long, painful process of Kirkman trying to make it back to the field. It would be telling if the Rangers sign another lefty for the bullpen in the coming days, as losing Kirkman further weakens their depth on that side of the bullpen.

Kirkman signed a minor league deal with the Rangers on Thursday, which includes an invitation to spring training, Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports. Kirkman was not tendered a contract by the Rangers this offseason, but the team will give him a chance to earn a roster spot during spring training. He saw just 5.2 innings of work in the majors in 2014, and posted a 4.47 ERA over 54.1 innings at the Triple-A level.

The Rangers will not tender Kirkman a contract, making him a free agent. Kirkman is a lefty specialist, and while his 1.59 ERA in 12 appearances (5.2 innings) last season was impressive, it does not align with his performance in the minor leagues, and the Rangers obviously felt he was not a key bullpen piece moving forward.

Kirkman's contract will be selected from Triple-A Round Rock on Tuesday, John Blake of the Rangers' official site reports. Kirkman made 39 appearances, including four starts, at Round Rock this season, contributing a 4.47 ERA, 1.46 WHIP, and 62:29 K:BB in 54.1 innings. Expect him to be held to low-leverage situations out of the bullpen in his first major league outings since last year.

Rangers sent LHP Michael Kirkman outright to Triple-A Round Rock. Kirkman was designated for assignment last Friday and cleared waivers without being claimed. The 27-year-old owns a 5.17 ERA and 1.48 WHIP across 82 appearances at the major league level and will serve as pitching depth in the minors.

Rangers designated LHP Michael Kirkman for assignment. The move was made in order to clear room on the 40-man roster for Chris Gimenez. Kirkman was once a pretty nice prospect but holds a career 5.17 ERA and 1.48 WHIP across 82 appearances at the big league level. However, he's also struck out a batter per inning and as a lefty that can throw in the mid-90s, he'll get a shot somewhere.

Rangers activated RHP Michael Kirkman from the 60-day disabled list. Kirkman has been sidelined since early June after he experienced a recurrence of cancer near his right triceps muscle. The 26-year-old lefty posted an 8.18 ERA, 2.32 WHIP and 25/15 K/BB ratio over 22 innings with the Rangers before hitting the DL.

Rangers transferred LHP Michael Kirkman from the 15-day disabled list to the 60-day disables list. Kirkman has experienced a recurrence of the cancer near his right triceps muscle and is sidelined indefinitely.

Rangers placed LHP Michael Kirkman on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to June 7, with skin cancer. It's a recurrence of cancer in his right triceps area that he was originally diagnosed with last January. Kirkman should ultimately be fine, but he figures to be sidelined for a while in order to receive treatment. Kyle McClellan took his spot on the roster.

Michael Kirkman will start against the Angels in Wednesday's Cactus League game. Meanwhile, Nick Tepesch will pitch on the minor league side. The Rangers haven't made a decision about who will be their fifth starter, but it's clear that they haven't given up on Kirkman as a possibility. They are also scouting Dodgers' pitchers Chris Capuano and Aaron Harang, but the expectation is that they'll settle on an internal candidate.