Jhoulys Chacin injury: Rockies P out at least a week with shoulder strain

Rockies pitcher Jhoulys Chacin's MRI on Monday revealed no structural damage, but the 26-year-old right-hander isn't out of the woods, yet.

Chacin has a shoulder strain and inflammation in his throwing arm, the Rockies announced on Tuesday. That will delay the start of his spring training pitching reps by at least a week -- most likely longer, according to multiple reports. Chacin has expressed optimism regarding the injury and feels he can be ready for the start of the regular season if he's not forced to miss more than a couple of weeks during the Cactus League slate.

Rumors surfaced on Monday that the Rockies revived their interest in free-agent hurler Ervin Santana following the news of Chacin's injury, but those were shot down by MLB.com's Thomas Harding. The Rockies would seemingly prefer to deal with a potential stint on the disabled list for their ace by giving in-house options a shot at filling out the rotation. To that, I say "meh," but it is what it is.

Stay tuned for further developments on the injury.