Phillies reveal Cole Hamels' shoulder soreness

Philadelphia Phillies left-hander Cole Hamels experienced shoulder soreness while partaking in his offseason throwing program, but general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. says the team doesn’t view the setback as an issue, according to Jim Salisbury of the Philadelphia Inquirer:

"I’d be concerned if this was an issue, but we don’t view this as an issue at all," Amaro said Thursday.

Amaro confirmed that Hamels experienced soreness in his arm when he "got aggressive" with his throwing program in October. The GM also revealed that Hamels experienced shoulder soreness at the end of last season.

Amaro added that the Phillies shut Hamels down "for a couple of weeks," and the left-hander is "fine now." Hamels was being more proactive than anything, which Amaro appreciated, but he’s good now.

While this could be a non-issue heading into next season, Phillies fans must be worried that this will be déjà vu all over again. Fans received reports last winter that the recoveries of second baseman Chase Utley and first baseman Ryan Howard were going as expected. As it turned out, neither player made it back until later into the regular season.

Hamels signed a six-year, $144 million contract with the Phillies in July. He owns a career ERA of 3.34 over seven seasons with the club.