Manager Bud Black said Rusin (oblique) is still 7-to-10 days away from throwing, Nick Groke of the Denver Post reports.
With the unfortunate news surrounding Chad Bettis (illness), Rusin would normally have been an obvious fill-in for a youthful Rockies rotation. With this development, however, Rusin's availability for the season's opener may even be in jeopardy depending on how quickly his strained oblique can return to normal. If the left-hander is unable to claim this role in the rotation right away, that would likely open the door for Jeff Hoffman and German Marquez to take over those spots, although Antonio Senzatela, Kyle Freeland and Harrison Musgrave are also in the mix. This is somewhat speculative at this point, though things should become clearer once Rusin begins throwing again.
