Cole Hamels allowed five runs in his Texas debut August 1 against the Giants and four earned in his second Rangers start August 7 versus the Mariners.
Now comes word from MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan that the left-hander has been scratched from his third Rangers start Thursday against the Twins because of a groin issue. The hope is that Hamels will only have to miss one turn in the Rangers’ starting rotation.
Hamels was acquired from the Phillies a few days before the July 31 trade deadline for catcher Jorge Alfaro, outfielder Nick Williams, left-hander Matt Harrison, and right-handers Alec Asher, Jerad Eickhoff, and Jake Thompson. Texas also received reliever Jake Diekman in that eight-player swap.
The 31-year-old Hamels is under contract through 2018 at $23.5 million per season.