The Los Angeles Dodgers placed Cole Hamels on the 60-day injured list Monday, effectively ending his season before he ever pitched for the defending World Series champions.
The 37-year-old left-hander signed a $3.05 million, one-year deal with the Dodgers on Aug. 4. The four-time All-Star was expected to add depth to a pitching staff that's been ravaged by injuries and is minus reigning NL Cy Young Award winner Trevor Bauer, who is on paid administrative leave as authorities investigate allegations of sexual misconduct.
Hamels will earn about $1 million from the deal.
Manager Dave Roberts said Hamels was building up in Arizona when his arm “didn't respond well,” although he wasn't sure whether it occurred during a bullpen session or throwing to hitters. Roberts didn't elaborate on the specific injury.
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Hamels held a showcase for teams last month, and the Dodgers emerged the winner. Now, they're on the losing end of the deal.
“All the stuff that we had leading up to us courting him, watching other teams court him, our scouts and everyone felt really good about it,” Roberts said. “It’s an easy bet on the player, the person and what he's done.”
Hamels was limited to one start last season with the Atlanta Braves due to shoulder inflammation and arm fatigue. He went 3 1/3 innings on Sept. 16 at Baltimore and allowed three earned runs.
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Hamels, the 2008 World Series and NLCS MVP with Philadelphia, has spent 15 seasons in the majors. He has a career record of 163-122 with a 3.43 ERA and 2,560 strikeouts in 423 games. In his last full season in 2019 with the Chicago Cubs, he went 7-7 with a 3.81 ERA.
“We’re just sad for Cole because he did everything he could to put himself in a position to get back on a major league team and pitch major league innings,” Roberts said. “Unfortunately, it didn’t happen.”
