Aaron Cook pronounced himself ready to return to the Colorado Rockies rotation after pitching a simulated game Saturday.

Whether the Rockies decide to add him to their World Series roster is still uncertain.

Cook hasn't pitched in a major league game since Aug. 10, sidelined by a strained muscle in his side, and had mixed results against the Rockies' regulars. He walked the first two batters he faced and surrendered a home run to Kaz Matsui.

Cook, who faced 16 batters and allowed four hits, didn't see his performance in the simulated game as an audition for the playoff roster.

"No, I feel like I've done enough to audition," Cook said. "I was the opening-day starter this year. I've been in the organization 12 years now. So, today is just going out there and proving that I'm still healthy."

The Rockies, who successfully reinserted Willy Taveras into the lineup for the NL Championship Series, are contemplating adding Cook to the rotation and bumping rookie Franklin Morales to the bullpen.

That would give manager Clint Hurdle a third left-handed reliever to go with Jeremy Affeldt and Brian Fuentes. The odd man out in all this would be reliever Taylor Buchholz, who hasn't pitched in the playoffs yet.

La Russa expects to return for 13th season with Cardinals: Cardinals manager Tony La Russa expects to return for a 13th season with St. Louis, and may commit to the team before it selects a new general manager.

La Russa told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch he'd be back barring complications in discussions with team chairman Bill DeWitt Jr. His three-year deal expired at the end of the season.

"The fact that we're talking pretty much daily and everything is progressing tells you where it's heading and where we'd like it to end up," La Russa said in a story that appeared in Saturday's editions. "Obviously, that's assuming nothing falls through the cracks."

La Russa left a message for The Associated Press on Saturday saying he was only talking to the Post-Dispatch about his situation.

La Russa told the newspaper he has not delayed his decision to gauge possible interest from the New York Yankees, who parted ways with manager Joe Torre on Thursday.