PHOENIX, Ariz. -- The possibility of Brandon McCarthy being ready for the start of the season appears to be diminishing rapidly. The possibility of Luis Mendoza being needed at the Major League level is rising.

McCarthy, making his first Cactus League appearance of the Spring, had to cut short his outing against the Brewers on Friday with more pain in his right elbow/forearm area. McCarthy was supposed to go two innings and 30 pitches, but was pulled after one inning and 19 pitches when the elbow problem flared up again.

"It happened on the third curve ball I tried to throw," McCarthy said. "I felt good out there. My fastball was alive and my curve ball was good. Everything felt good mechanically and it just flared up on me."

McCarthy has been bothered by pain and inflammation in the elbow/forearm area for the past three weeks. The Rangers thought they had it under control enough for him to pitch against the Brewers, now it's unclear when he'll pitch again. He'll be examined by Dr. Keith Meister on Saturday.

But McCarthy is down for just four more outings here in Arizona and, even if he only needs a week or two of rest, it's unlikely that he'll have enough time to build up his innings and pitch counts to be ready to begin the season in the rotation.

"We haven't gotten that far yet," general manager Jon Daniels said. "One thing is that with the off-days at the beginning of the season we have some leeway. We'll wait and see what Keith says but we need to get him healthy."

The Rangers open up the season on March 31 against the Mariners and are off on April 3rd and 7th. That means they won't need a fifth starter until April 12.

McCarthy was also sidelined last year with a persistent blister problem from June 14 to July 2 and a stress fracture in his right shoulder blade from Aug. 15 to Sept. 11. He went through an intensive strength and conditioning program this offseason and put on 15 pounds in the process.

The hope was that the program would make him stronger and more durable. But that has not yet proven to be the case so far this spring.

"This is definitely something that's kind of depressing," said McCarthy, who was on the disabled list twice last season with a variety of ailments. "I thought I had put in enough work this offseason to the point where I thought I only had to worry about pitching. To have to go through this kind of stuff is definitely tough."

The Rangers, even before McCarthy had to cut short Friday's outing, were already looking at ways to increase their pitching depth and are mulling the possibility of signing free agent pitcher Sidney Ponson to a Minor League contract and bringing him into Spring Training.

The Rangers were one of several teams who had a scout watching Ponson throw in Florida on Thursday. Ponson also worked out for the Rangers in the Dominican Republic back in January. He was 2-5 with a 6.93 ERA in seven games with the Twins last year.

"You always have to keep your eyes open and stay open-minded about adding depth," Daniels said.

There are other free agents still available even at this late date, most notably right-handers Kyle Lohse and Jeff Weaver. But the Rangers to this point have shown no interest in either pitcher and don't appear ready to change their minds.

Mendoza right now is clearly the leading internal candidate for the rotation. Mendoza, 23, is a hard-throwing sinkerballer who had a 2.25 ERA in six games, including three starts, for the Rangers last September and manager Ron Washington said the Rangers would be more than comfortable putting him into the rotation.

"He hasn't [done] anything to sway us in the other direction," Washington said. "We're very comfortable with him. He has great stuff and a good presence. We'll see where it goes. That's why we're keeping him stretched out. He's one of the guys we would think about moving into the rotation."

Mendoza gave up three runs in 3 1/3 innings in a "B" game against the Royals on Friday morning. He breezed through the first inning, gave up three runs in the second but then came back to retire the last four batters he faced.

Other internal candidates include right-handers Eric Hurley and left-handers A.J. Murray and Matt Harrison. The Rangers have high hopes for all three but are clearly reluctant to push any of them into an Opening Day rotation.

"In a perfect world, correct," Daniels said.

Harrison has yet to pitch above Double-A. Hurley was 7-2 with a 3.25 ERA at Double-A Frisco last year but 4-7 with a 4.91 ERA in 13 starts at Triple-A Oklahoma. Murray is trying to transition back into a starter after missing all of 2006 with shoulder surgery and being used mainly in relief in 2007.

The Rangers had hoped all three would start the season in the Minors and come at their own pace. They also had hoped to leave Arizona with a healthy starting rotation. That hope is not looking good right now because of McCarthy.