They are the most feared words in spring training:

Just a precaution.

Cole Hamels has a twinge in his elbow.

The ace of the Phillies staff, the MVP of both the National League Championship Series and the World Series, is back in Philadelphia today to have the elbow on his throwing arm examined and get an MRI.

Hamels and the Phillies are downplaying it. They always do. In the meantime, fans are holding their breath.

Hamels is the epitome of Southern California cool. That includes his work as an amateur doctor. He’s had lots of practice. Last year was the first Hamels managed to play without an injury keeping him out of the rotation.

Unfortunately, as he became the horse on the hill last year for the Phils, he also was entering unchartered territory. Hamels pitched 279 innings last year, that’s more than any other year in his career and tops in baseball.

“It’s not a big deal,” Hamels insisted in Florida yesterday before flying north. I think I am fine. I don’t think it’s anything serious.”

Hamels takes pains to indicate he deals with tightness in his elbow just about every year, but that it’s been a bit more persistenr this spring. He says this is not a situation where he can’t throw, but that he has tightness between starts that is usually gone by this time of the spring. Maybe that’s tied to the number of innings he logged last year. Then again, the Phils delayed Hamels’ spring debut about as long as they could.

There was a time when you could just about count on hearing the following sentence at some point during Phillies camp. “We’re just going to shut him down for a few weeks. We don’t think it’s anything serious.” And the Phils promptly would see a pitcher they were counting on go on the shelf.

Hopefully, we won’t be hearing those words later this afternoon.

Hamels is vowing to be on the mound for opening night.

He is probably the one player the Phils cannot afford to lose. He is their ace. And right now he’s in the hole.