Rockies activate Chris Rusin, place Jason Motte on 15-day DL

The Colorado Rockies are rolling right now, and they got some more good news today as LHP Chris Rusin‘s left shoulder inflammation has subsided and he is back on the big league roster. The bad news is, veteran reliever RHP Jason Motte was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a right rotator cuff strain.

It’s unclear what Rusin’s role will be as he replaces the reliever Motte. Rusin was terrific as a starter before his injury but his replacement Tyler Anderson has been just as good. Meanwhile, Jordan Lyles has pegged down the long-relief role in the bullpen so it’s curious as to where Rusin will slot it.

In the 12 MLB games he’s pitched this year, seven as a starter, he’s thrown 54.2 innings with a 4.12 ERA, 3.23 FIP, 6.42 K/9 and a 2.80 BB/9, obtaining him a very solid 1.1 WAR. He has been everything the Rockies needed him to be and more either coming out of the pen or starting. In his rehab appearances, while coming back from this injury he racked up 9.1 innings pitched with a 5.79 ERA, however, he had a sick 10.61 K/9 rate in this outings.

Meanwhile, Motte, who was signed in the offseason, has had a very tough year. His ERA is up to a 5.66 in just the 20.2 innings he’s pitched. It hasn’t been fluky either as he has a  5.94 FIP. He still has the ability to miss bats as shown by the 9.58 K/9 he owns, but his slider has been flat and his fastball has lost a lot of velocity.