Rusin (finger) has an outside chance to be the Rockies' No. 5 starter now that Jon Gray (abdomen) will not be ready for the start of the season, Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post reports.
Other candidates for the job include left-hander Yohan Flande and right-hander Christian Bergman. Rusin has already confirmed that he will not be ready for the start of the season, but the Rockies do have two off days during the first week of the season, which would allow them to use a four-man rotation until the second half of the month. This could allow Rusin to garner the rotation spot at that time if Colorado decides to go in that direction. The left-hander appears to be progressing well in his injury rehab, as he is now expected to pitch his first spring game this weekend, manager Walt Weiss said. It's a pretty small chance, but Rusin could force the Rockies to let him in the rotation later in April if he pitches well in his limited spring outings.