Unseen southpaw Cole Hamels, the Braves’ expensive offseason signee who’s yet to pitch in even an exhibition game this season, is progressing toward a September debut.
Hamels, 36, has continued working his way back from triceps tendinitis that interrupted his rebooted camp in early July. Left-shoulder inflammation sustained during offseason workouts derailed his first spring training.
The left-hander threw his second bullpen session Sunday afternoon, and the team remains optimistic he will contribute sometime next month. The Braves have 27 games remaining after Sunday night.
“I would hope and expect he comes out of the bullpen today feeling good,” general manager Alex Anthopoulos said Sunday morning. “Then at some point, we’ll progress him to some type of simulated games. Then we’ll have to make a determination on when we activate him. Do we get him stretched out? Do we activate him earlier and get him stretched out in Atlanta? How is that going to line up with our team?
“We haven’t gotten that far yet, but the fact he’s throwing his second bullpen today, and continues to feel good, is obviously a really good sign. He does feel like, and we feel like, he’s turning the corner. We feel like he’s on his way to getting built up now for us.”
Hamels’ unavailability was another blow to the team’s rotation, which also lost Mike Soroka, Felix Hernandez, Mike Foltynewicz and Sean Newcomb for varying reasons. Youngsters Touki Toussaint and Kyle Wright couldn’t secure roles and are now at the alternate training site in Gwinnett.
As Anthopoulos said, it will take time to build Hamels up. Whenever he returns, he’ll likely be pitching in small increments. But the state of the rotation is such that even that would be beneficial. The Braves’ staff currently includes Cy Young-contender Max Fried, converted long relievers Josh Tomlin and Robbie Erlin, prospect Ian Anderson and newcomer Tommy Milone, whom the team acquired Sunday.
Hamels is a 14-year veteran, four-time All-Star and World Series MVP. The Braves signed Hamels to a one-year, $18 million deal over the winter hoping he’d stabilize the rotation while mentoring their younger pitchers. He’s been on the 45-day injured list and would be eligible to return in the second week of September.
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