FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Though manager Rocco Baldelli has maintained that Fernando Romero will pitch important innings in the Major Leagues this season, the 24-year-old right-hander is set to start the year in the Minor Leagues after the Twins optioned Romero to Triple-A Rochester on Friday afternoon.

Romero had a 4.69 ERA in 11 starts for the Twins last season, but Baldelli said early this spring that Minnesota planned to use the organization's former No. 4 prospect in a relief role this season. The hope is that Romero uses his stint in the Minor Leagues to continue to adjust to pitching out of the bullpen, as the hard-throwing right-hander has been used almost exclusively as a starter since 2014.

"Fernando is going to be a huge part of what we do here, I’m very, very confident of that," Baldelli said. "I also think that giving him the opportunity to gain confidence in coming out of the bullpen, and really getting into his routine, finding something that works well for him, and finding a place to do that where he’s not learning everything on the go about being a reliever ... that’s what puts him in the best spot to succeed."

Romero only allowed one run over nine innings across his first seven outings of the spring, but he lost his command in his last two appearances when he walked five and allowed nine runs while recording only two outs.

Though Twins' leadership said over the offseason that Romero has the mentality to potentially be a closer, chief baseball officer Derek Falvey said the Twins don't yet see Romero as an option to pitch late in games at the Major League level.

"I hope he learns to continue to harness his stuff as he goes forward," Falvey said. "That will help him work towards the back end of the bullpen. But we've seen it this spring. He still has development left and being able to rein it all in at different times is a key next step for him. We'll continue to put him in positions to be able to do that."

With Romero no longer in the picture for Opening Day, there could be some added intrigue to the questions surrounding the Twins' Opening Day roster. So how could this move affect the 25 players the Twins take north next week?

Could the Twins carry 14 position players?

This would be a highly unorthodox move, but it could be possible given the Twins' highly unorthodox early schedule, which includes two series in National League parks and five scheduled off-days within the first 15 days of the season.

The Twins are expected to use a four-man rotation through mid-April, and the frequent off-days could allow the Twins to use a seven-man bullpen instead of an expanded eight-man relief corps.

That could free up the Twins to carry five bench players early in the season, which could be a good sign for Tyler Austin or Michael Reed, who are both out of Minor League options as they fight for spots on Minnesota's 25-man roster. The expanded bench would also be beneficial for the Twins' defensive versatility in their early Interleague games.

Could a non-roster invitee crack the Twins' bullpen?

The bullpen picture currently includes Trevor May, Blake Parker, Trevor Hildenberger, Taylor Rogers, Martin Perez and Adalberto Mejia. The Twins still have to make decisions on Addison Reed and Matt Magill, who could begin the season on the injured list as they deal with a left thumb injury and unspecified arm problems, respectively.

Depending on how the Twins handle Reed and Magill, there could be room for one or more of Minnesota's remaining non-roster invitees to make the Major League roster. In order to break camp with a non-roster pitcher, the Twins would need to make room on the full 40-man roster. There are three non-roster pitchers remaining in Major League camp: Preston Guilmet, Mike Morin and Ryne Harper.

Harper has yet to allow a run in 10 innings this spring, and hasn't walked a batter while recording 13 strikeouts. Guilmet is averaging well over a strikeout per inning this spring, with 14 strikeouts in 8 2/3 frames, while Morin has a 3.72 ERA in 9 2/3 innings.