How They’re Doing : Playing With Pain : Bob Hamelin lived with a nagging backache for two years before doctors diagnosed the problem. Now, he hopes to get his chance at the major leagues.

Try and imagine the frustration of Bob Hamelin, a top prospect for the Kansas City Royals.

For two years, Hamelin, 23, has lived with a nagging backache. He couldn’t stand up or sit down without pain. Doctors in Memphis told him to lose weight. Doctors in Omaha advised him to exercise. Doctors in Kansas City suggested he take a long rest.

It seemed as if everybody had a remedy, but the pain persisted. Finally, it became so severe that Hamelin was unable to do what he does best--swing a baseball bat.

Hamelin, a former standout first baseman at Irvine High School, Rancho Santiago College and UCLA, considers last season with Omaha, the Royals’ triple-A team, “a total disaster . . . a complete waste.”

Mostly, Hamelin sat, or at least tried to. He would try to watch a couple of innings before retreating to the trainer’s table. Ice packs and whirlpools were little relief.

He returned home last August and reluctantly made another appointment at a clinic headed by Drs. Robert Kerlan and Frank Jobe at Centinela Hospital Medical Center in Inglewood. But he was convinced doctors were a waste of time.

“When they told me to lose weight, I said, ‘No way. That’s not even close,’ ” Hamelin said. “I’ve weighed the same since I was a junior in high school.

“It got to the point where the doctors were all saying the same thing. I had all the back scan tests, and no one could find anything physically wrong.”

Finally, Hamelin got an answer. Doctors at Centinela discovered a stress fracture in his lower back. And the injury had been aggravated by swinging a bat periodically over the past two years.

“It wasn’t good news, but at least I knew what was wrong with me,” Hamelin said. “For so long, I didn’t know what was wrong.”

Hamelin had learned to play with pain. He batted .308 in 68 games for the Memphis Chicks, the Royals’ double-A team, in 1989 before he was placed on the disabled list on July 2. He was rated the seventh-best prospect in the Southern League.

“I figure I first hurt my back in Memphis,” Hamelin said. “I hit a home run and felt something twinge.”

For the remainder of the summer, Hamelin consulted a series of doctors. By August, he was told to go home and rest. He recovered well enough to play winter ball for two months in Venezuela. Hamelin felt fine and reported to spring training last March in Florida.

“I was hitting the ball well in spring training and looked forward to spending the year at Omaha,” he said. “Everything was going good.”

Until June, when Hamelin began feeling more back pain. Only this time, he couldn’t stand or sit comfortably. He was convinced something was terribly wrong.

Hamelin played in 90 games for Omaha, but most of his appearances were either as a designated hitter or pinch-hitter. He batted only .232 with eight homers and 30 RBIs.

“I took batting practice whenever I could, but mostly, I just sat around doing nothing,” he said. “It was the first time in my career that I was hurt, but nobody could tell me what was wrong.”

After the stress fracture was diagnosed, Hamelin decided to forgo surgery and wore a back brace for two months while being treated at the Kerlan-Jobe clinic. He began a rehabilitation program at a Mission Viejo clinic two weeks ago and begins daily workouts next week.

“I haven’t swung a bat since last August, and it’s going to be another month or so until I’m ready to get into a batting cage,” he said. “I’m still a little skeptical. I won’t know if I’m healthy until I swing a bat.”

Hamelin spends two hours stretching, lifting weights and doing a series of trunk stabilization exercises. The program develops and strengthens the muscles in his lower back.

“The program is a lot tougher than I thought it was going to be,” Hamelin said. “Physically, it’s very tiring.”

The injury has been a major setback to Hamelin’s dream of playing in the major leagues. He was selected by the Royals in the second round of the amateur draft in June 1988. He reported to Eugene of the Northwest League, where he led the league in home runs (17) and slugging percentage (.604).

Hamelin’s rookie year in professional baseball was almost predictable. After his freshman year at UCLA, during which he hit .364 with 14 homers, Bruin Coach Gary Adams said, “He is the best hitter I have seen in all my years of coaching at this time in his career. With his talent, major league baseball is not out of his reach.”

Hamelin was rated the fifth-best prospect in the Northwest League by the league’s managers and moved up in the Royals’ organization, reaching triple A last season.

“I was pretty happy with the way things were going before I got hurt,” Hamelin said. “I never had a plan on how many years it was going to take to reach the majors. I just wanted to put up some good numbers and progress.

“My back injury has been totally frustrating because baseball is my livelihood, and I can’t do it. Normally, I’d be playing winter ball or getting ready for instructional league. Now, I’m just hoping I get the clearance to play catch in two weeks at Rancho Santiago.”