Philadelphia Phillies: Will Cole Hamels Be Injury Free to Start the 2013 Season?

Will Cole Hamels be ready to start the season with the Philadelphia Phillies?

According to Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com, the Phillies ace admitted to experiencing some shoulder discomfort earlier this offseason, but insists the problem is behind him.  

Hamels, who turned 29 in December, was throwing in October when the problem occurred and contacted Phillies trainer Scott Sheridan immediately after.

Supposedly, he "got aggressive" with his training regimen and experienced "some soreness" while throwing.  

General Manager Ruben Amaro Jr. confirmed the issue but also stated that it is nothing to be concerned about.

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We shut him down for a couple of weeks, but he’s fine now, Amaro said. He was being proactive more than anything else, which is good. We backed him off and slowed him down, but he’s back throwing now and doing fine. He’s had no complaints. I’d be concerned if this was an issue, but we don’t view this as an issue at all.

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Amaro also disclosed that Hamels had also experienced "some shoulder soreness at the end of the season," and stated that this type of soreness was, "not uncommon."

Hamels, who went 17-6 with a 3.05 ERA and 216 strikeouts in 215.1 innings pitched, received a thorough medical check in July before signing a six-year, $144 million deal with the Phillies—the largest contract in Philadelphia sports history.  

Though the left-hander had a two-week stint on the disabled list in August of 2011 and had surgery to remove a bone chip from his elbow after that season, these injuries were considered minor and Hamels came back strong in 2012.  

With Hamels due to report to spring training in about a month, time will tell whether or not these issues will play a role in the upcoming season.

However, if Amaro and Hamels are genuine with their diagnosis of the problem, it looks like Cole Hamels won't have an issue returning to dominance in 2013.

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