Veteran lefty Cole Hamels planning 2023 comeback
Cole Hamels hasn’t pitched in a major league game since 2020. The 38-year-old lefty is not quite ready to call it a career and retire. He is planning one more comeback with the hopes he lands with a big league club in 2023.
“A Spring Training invite is no risk, all reward. If you start me out in February, I’ll be ready by April 1,” Hamels said. “Or I’ll know exactly I can’t do it, and I will be the first one to admit, nope, I had a great career. I can hang it up and be proud of what I did.”
Hamels is a veteran of 15 major league seasons, spanning from 2006-2020. He’s pitched for four teams, the Phillies, Rangers, Cubs and Braves. The lefty won a World Series with the Phillies in 2008 earning World Series MVP honors.
Hamels last appearance in the bigs came in 2020 with the Braves. Triceps and shoulder injuries limited his time with Atlanta, making only one start pitching 3 1/3 innings posting an 8.10 ERA. The veteran also attempted a comeback in 2021 signing with the Dodgers but a left shoulder injury sidelined him and he ultimately elected free agency in November of that year.
Hamels has been recovering from shoulder surgeries and other ailments the last year. He finally feels healthy enough to give a comeback at least one more shot.
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“It’s hard to train when you’ve got body parts that are not doing what they’re supposed to do to allow you to do what you want to do,” Hamels said, and the fuller scope of surgeries allowed for more “understanding what was kind of wrong, getting it fixed and then actually being able to rehab it, just kind of addressing the right areas and not trying to overcompensate.”
Hamels will turn 39 in December and represents a low risk for any major league club that signs him. It’s likely Hamels will attempt to hook on with a team that presents an opportunity to be competitive. His days as a starter are likely over and he’s open to being a reliever if it means pitching in the bigs one last time.
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