Chris Rusin assigned to Triple-A, but can the Colorado Rockies fix him?

There was perhaps no more reliable reliever for the Colorado Rockies in 2017 than Chris Rusin. Since then, however, the wheels have fallen off for the versatile left-hander, both in terms of his effectiveness and the confidence expressed in him to get the job done.

The fall from grace for Chris Rusin culminated on June 7 when he was designated for assignment by the Colorado Rockies. On Wednesday, it was announced that no other team had put in a claim on Rusin and the Rockies had outrighted him to Triple-A Albuquerque.

That no other team took a chance (through trade and assuming Rusin’s $1,687,500 contract for the season) on the 32-year-old left-hander speaks volumes to where Rusin currently is in his career.

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In 2017, Rusin went 5-1 in 60 appearances with the Rockies, posting a sparkling 1.11 WHIP and a career-low 2.65 ERA. An injury-filled 2018, however, saw Rusin’s ERA climb to 6.09 and his WHIP rise to 1.50. Additionally, his hard hit percentage climbed from 27.1 to 32.5 and his barrel rate and exit velocity also climbed.

Perhaps worst of all, Rusin’s year-over-year ERA with runners in scoring position nearly doubled from 2017 (6.97) to 2018 (13.50).

Injuries once again cost Rusin in 2019 as he started the season on the injured list with a mid-back strain. Finally coming off the injured list on May 31, Rusin faced just nine batters over the course of two games. Five of those nine batters recorded hits off Rusin.

It was enough for the Rockies to believe that there were others who were more deserving of a 40-man roster spot than Rusin and, one week after making his season debut, Rusin was gone.

The biggest issue for Rusin? A drop in velocity. This season, his pitches are hovering around 90 mph. Compare that to 2017 when he was hitting 94 or 2018 where 93 was part of Rusin’s arsenal.

Rusin has never been an extremely hard thrower, but he has also been able to make up it with location. In 2017, one of his keys to success was throwing 53.3 percent of his pitches for strikes. Last year, that number dipped to 47.9 and bottomed out at just 40 in limited duty this season.

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The fact that no other Major League team took a chance on Rusin speaks volumes as to the work that the Rockies will need to see happen for the southpaw to return to form. Certainly it never hurts to have depth in the minors, but will Rusin be able to rediscover his ability to be effective? Colorado is rolling the dice that he can (or that he just needs additional time to shake off the rust from back-to-back injury-filled seasons). Either way, it was a gamble that no other team was willing to take.

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