Cole Hamels Could Return From Injured List and Start for Cubs on Saturday

When the Chicago Cubs lost Cole Hamels in late June, many though it would hurt the team's playoff chances, but they've been able to tread water while their ace has been on the injured list.

They received some good news Tuesday as Hamels might make his return to the Wrigley Field on Saturday.

Hamels bullpen tomorrow. Could pitch at Wrigley on Saturday
— Jesse Rogers (@ESPNChiCubs) July 30, 2019

Cubs starters have held down the fort during Hamels' absence, pitching to a 4.15 ERA so far. Yu Darvish has been the best of them all, owning a 2.92 ERA over that span and finally looking like the ace they expected to get.

Hamels will be a welcomed member back into the rotation. He was 6-3 with a 2.98 ERA and looked like he was going to make his first All-Star team since the 2016 season.

.@TommyBirch takes a look at how Cole Hamels did in his rehab outing with the @IowaCubs on Sunday: https://t.co/9tWmaYwFB1
— DM Register Sports (@DMRsports) July 28, 2019

Chicago will certainly need Hamels to have a chance at taking the division and avoiding the one-game wild card playoff. What's even better is that August has been Hamels' best month over his career and he has a 3.41 career postseason ERA.

Things are looking up for the Cubbies as long as they can survive their next stretch of road games.