Rich Harden won't begin the season in Oakland's starting rotation. Harden, who suffered a lat strain in his back early in camp and has been working his way back to pitching on a mound, doesn't have enough time to get stretched out. "There's not going to be enough time for that," manager Bob Geren said. "He hasn't even been off the mound yet, and we're leaving for San Francisco in a couple of weeks. It's just the timeframe." Harden, who pitched for the A's from 2003-08, signed back with the organization as a free agent in the offseason after two and a half seasons with the Cubs and Rangers.