Atlanta Braves are optimistic that they’ll have veteran pitcher Cole Hamels ready to for the Opening Day of 2020 MLB season.
Hamels dealt with left shoulder inflammation earlier in the year and was set to miss the start of Braves’ campaign. However, the season delay due to coronavirus pandemic allowed the 36-year-old pitcher to recover without missing any games.
According to the team’s president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos, Braves now count on Hamels from the go.
“He’s feeling great,” said Anthopoulos. “We’ll see how things progress with each of our guys and how much we can get them stretched out before Opening Day. But right now in terms of our projections, he’s somebody we plan to carry with us at the start of this year.”
However, Anthopoulos also hinted that the organization will take a cautious approach with Hamels and might restrict his innings at first.
“We’re not going to push our guys in the rotation to do more than we think is safe. Because of our depth, we feel like we can do that,” he added.
Braves can afford to rotate their starting pitchers more than other teams, thanks to the impressive depth at the position. Besides Hamels, Atlanta also has All-Stars Mike Soroka and Mike Foltynewic, the dependable duo in Sean Newcomb and Max Fried, as well as several other veterans and prospects.
Cole Hamels joined Braves in the offseason, inking a one-year, $18 million deal. Hamels spent most of his MLB career with Philadelphia Phillies, with whom he won World Series in 2008. He also had stints with Texas Rangers and Chicago Cubs.
Hamels, who is a four-time All-Star, is on 163–121 MLB career record with 3.42 ERA and 2,558 strikeouts.
