Rich Hill is reportedly joining the Red Sox organization for an eighth time
BOSTON -- With the Red Sox desperate for help in their starting rotation at a make-or-break point of the season, the team is turning to a familiar face. Veteran lefty Rich Hill is reportedly rejoining the organization on a minor-league deal, according to ESPN's Buster Olney and WEEI's Rob Bradford.
The plan is for the 44-year-old Hill, who hasn't pitched in the big leagues since Oct. 1 of last season, to head to Triple-A Worcester on Sunday or Monday, according to Olney. He'll likely need a few starts to get back into shape, but he could be back in the Boston rotation for a sixth time in his career in the coming weeks.
The Milton native originally joined the Boston organization back in 2010. Counting all of his minor league deals with the franchise, this will be the eighth time that Hill has joined the Red Sox.
He was coaching his son's Little League team in Milton this year, but expressed an interest in returning to the mound if it worked out for him and his family, Hill held a showcase for three teams last week in Waltham, and with the Red Sox likely losing James Paxton for the rest of the season, the Boston brass is turning to the veteran southpaw to potentially provide depth at the back end of the rotation.
Hill pitched for the Pittsburgh Pirates and San Diego Padres last season, and went 8-14 with a 5.41 ERA over 32 appearances (27 starts). He struggled mightily for the Padres down the stretch, going 1-4 with a 8.23 ERA over 10 appearances.
Overall, Hill is 90-73 with a 4.01 ERA and 1.259 WHIP over his 13-year MLB career. He last pitched for the Red Sox in 2022, when he went 8-7 with a 4.27 ERA across 26 starts. He is 12-8 with a 3.81 ERA and 1.195 WHIP for Boston.
The Red Sox are scuffling at the moment, having dropped six of their last eight games. Boston is currently 2.5 games behind the Kansas City Royals for the final American League Wild Card spot with 42 games left in the season.