Nothing Serious For Hamels

The Phillies received good news on pitcher Cole Hamels, who visited a doctor in Philadelphia today. The doctor revealed there is no structural damage to his pitching elbow.

“Hamels had a MRI and dynamic ultrasound today in Philadelphia. [Ruben] Amaro
said there is some inflammation in the posterior lateral aspect of his elbow
joint. He received an anti-inflammatory injection today and will not throw for
two days. That means he will begin throwing again Thursday.” Todd
Zolecki, Phillies beat writer, reported.

The Phillies were pleased to hear that there is no serious injury. Hamels will not be rushed, but Opening Day is a possibility.

“We’ll start when he’s ready to start,” Amaro said. “He’ll start for the
Phillies at the major league level when he’s ready to start. If it’s Opening
Day, it’s Opening Day. If it’s some time beyond that then that’s when it will
be. He’ll let us know what the pace is. We’ll monitor his progress. It’ll depend
on how he continues to progress. For us, again, it’s the same old mantra: It’s
not about Opening Day. It’s about 162 games, and hopefully beyond 162 games that
we really have to worry about.”

Phillies athletic trainer Scott Sheridan stated that Hamels was progressing, despite the tightness. Sheridan also cleared things up saying it is a totally different injury than the one Hamels suffered in 2004 in Single-A.