By Sam Bush
Ex-Phillies hurler Cole Hamels won’t be ready for the Atlanta Braves opening day after suffering a shoulder injury.
David O’Brien of The Athletic tweets that Hamels will be sidelined for at least three weeks, which won’t give him enough time to be ready for the Braves’ opener in late March.
to Mark Bowman of MLB.com, Hamels began experiencing left shoulder discomfort after an exercise involving weighted medicine balls.
Hamels, 36, earlier this offseason signed a one-year, $18 million contract with Atlanta.
He’s coming off a 2019 season for the Cubs in which he pitched to a 3.81 ERA (117 ERA+) and a 2.55 K/BB ratio in 141 2/3 innings while missing all of July with an oblique strain. For his career, Hamels has an ERA+ of 123 across parts of 14 major league seasons. He’s previously landed on the IL twice with shoulder issues, but this is the first time since 2011.
