Hill was released by the Red Sox on Monday, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports.
Hill was designated for assignment by the team Friday, but he'll now officially hit the open market. The left-hander made four appearances with Boston, producing a 4.91 ERA and 1.09 WHIP with five strikeouts over 3.2 innings.
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Red Sox's Rich Hill: Designated for assignment
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Hill was designated for assignment Friday, Sean McAdam of MassLive.com reports.
Hill had a 4.91 ERA, five strikeouts and three walks in 3.2 innings over four appearances for Boston. It's possible this is the last we see of the 44-year-old lefty in the majors.
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Red Sox's Rich Hill: Used out of bullpen
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Hill struck out two over 1.1 scoreless relief innings in Thursday's 2-0 loss to Toronto.
Hill closed out the seventh inning by striking out Daulton Varsho with a runner on base, then threw a 1-2-3 eighth. He agreed to a minor-league deal with Boston earlier this month and worked his way back to the big leagues. Thursday's appearance made 2024 the 20th consecutive year in which the left-hander has appeared in an MLB game. While he's been mainly a starter throughout his career, Hill is expected to work out of the Red Sox bullpen.
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Red Sox's Rich Hill: Officially recalled
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The Red Sox selected Hill's contract from Triple-A Worcester on Tuesday, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.
The 44-year-old Hill will make his 2024 big-league debut after throwing a pair of scoreless innings in his lone appearance with Worcester. Despite operating as a starter for most of his career, Hill is slated to come out of the bullpen for the Red Sox.
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Red Sox's Rich Hill: Expected to be called up
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The Red Sox selected Hill's contract from Triple-A Worcester on Tuesday, Robert Murray of FanSided.com reports.
Hill made just one appearance with Worcester after inking a minor-league contract in mid-August, tossing two scoreless innings on Aug. 23. The 44-year-old threw 28 pitches in the appearance, so he's not ready to be used as a traditional starter initially. Hill posted a 5.41 ERA and 1.52 WHIP in 146.1 innings with the Pirates and Padres in 2023.
Hill walked one and struck out two over two scoreless innings for Triple-A Worcester on Friday.
Hill made his debut for the WooSox after the 44-year-old left-hander signed a minor-league deal with the Red Sox a week ago. He threw 28 pitches (15 strikes). The organization will evaluate Hill's outings in the minors to determine if he should be called up to bolster the pitching staff down the stretch. There could be a rotation opportunity for Hill after the Red Sox transferred James Paxton (calf) to the 60-day injured list Friday.
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Red Sox's Rich Hill: First Triple-A start Friday
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Hill will start for Triple-A Worcester on Friday, Chris Henrique of Beyond the Monster reports.
It's the first start this season for Hill, who inked a minor-league contract with the Red Sox last week. It will be an abbreviated outing for Hill, with Brad Keller following him in a piggyback situation. The 44-year-old will likely need multiple appearances with Worcester before Boston considers adding him to its roster.
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Red Sox's Rich Hill: Agrees to minors deal with Boston
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The Red Sox signed Hill to a minor-league contract Friday, Rob Bradford of WEEI.com reports.
Hill turned 44 in March and has not pitched anywhere this season. However, he had maintained hope of eventually landing a deal with a contender and now is back for what would be his fourth stint with the Red Sox, assuming he's eventually added to the major-league roster. The left-hander has been throwing on his own and is expected to join Triple-A Worcester next week. With James Paxton (calf) likely done for the season, Hill could get a shot to be Boston's fifth starter down the stretch.
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Rich Hill: Still hoping to pitch in 2024
Rotowire
Hill said in an interview Wednesday with David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports that he has been ramping up during bullpen sessions and is preparing to sign with a team in August.
Coming off a 2023 season in which he struggled to a 5.41 ERA and 1.52 WHIP in 146.1 innings with the Pirates and Padres, the 44-year-old Hill isn't yet ready to close the book on his playing career. He made it clear over the winter that he didn't intend to sign anywhere until around midseason so that he could coach his son's Little League team in the spring, but given his age and poor form to close out the 2023 season, interest in Hill likely would have been minimal had he committed to joining a team before spring training. Though the veteran southpaw now feels like he'll be ready to contribute soon, he'll most likely have to settle for a minor-league deal in free agency and prove himself against Triple-A competition before he gets another look in the majors.
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Padres' Rich Hill: Plans to continue career
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Hill plans to continue his playing career in 2024, Rob Bradford of WEEI.com reports.
Hill made the revelation on Bradford's "Baseball Isn't Boring" podcast. The 43-year-old left-hander didn't have a great 2023 campaign, posting a 5.41 ERA, 1.52 WHIP and 129:58 K:BB over 146.1 innings for the Pirates and Padres. Hill will turn 44 shortly after Opening Day next year but should be able to find a club willing to give him a one-year contract.
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Padres' Rich Hill: Secures extra-inning win
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Hill (8-14) picked up the win in Sunday's 2-1 extra-inning game against the White Sox. He allowed one run on two hits while striking out three over two innings.
This was Hill's second appearance out of the bullpen since going unclaimed on waivers Sept. 14, and his first win since he was starting for the Pirates in June. The southpaw wrapped his season with a 5.41 ERA and 1.52 WHIP across 146.1 innings with 129 strikeouts. The 43-year-old Hill enters free agency with uncertainty regarding his future; however, his 3.38 ERA in a limited sample of 10 innings as a reliever may be enticing enough to teams looking to bolster their bullpen with a multi-inning arm.
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Padres' Rich Hill: Banished to bullpen
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Hill worked in relief Sunday in the Padres' 12-2 loss to the Astros, striking out three while giving up two unearned runs on one hit and two walks over three innings.
After failing to escape the second inning while serving up six earned runs in his most recent start Sept. 4 versus the Phillies, Hill was bypassed for the start Sunday in favor of Matt Waldron. Though Waldron was dealt the loss after giving up four earned runs in five innings, he might have performed well enough to maintain the rotation spot over Hill, who lowered his ERA on Sunday but needed 55 pitches just to record his nine outs. Since joining the Padres in an Aug. 1 deal with the Pirates, Hill has gone 0-4 with a 9.27 ERA, 1.84 WHIP and 19:10 K:BB across 22.1 innings over seven appearances (five starts).
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Padres' Rich Hill: Placed on waivers
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Hill was placed on waivers by the Padres on Tuesday, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports.
San Diego will hope to get a bit of salary relief on the veteran left-hander, but he could very well pass through waivers unclaimed. Hill, 43, has struggled to a 9.27 ERA in 22.1 innings (five starts, two relief appearances) since being acquired from the Pirates at the Aug. 1 trade deadline.
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Padres' Rich Hill: Pummeled by Phillies
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Hill (7-14) took the loss against Philadelphia on Monday, allowing six runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out three batters over 1.1 innings.
Hill was in trouble from the get-go, allowing four of the first five batters he faced to reach base and yielding three first-inning runs on a bases-clearing double by Alec Bohm. The veteran hurler was allowed to return to the mound for the second, but things got even worse for him, as he surrendered four straight hits -- including a pair of homers -- to lead off the frame. Hill was pulled with a 6-1 deficit after just 1.1 innings, marking his shortest start of the season. Since joining the Padres on Aug. 1, the southpaw has struggled immensely, posting a 10.71 ERA, 1.97 WHIP and 16:8 K:BB over 19.1 frames while losing four times in six decisions. His rotation spot may be in jeopardy despite the fact that Yu Darvish (elbow) was recently placed on the IL.
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Padres' Rich Hill: No-decision in return to rotation
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Hill took a no-decision in Wednesday's 5-4 loss to the Cardinals after striking out two while allowing three earned runs on five hits and one walk across four innings.
The southpaw had made his most recent appearance out of the bullpen this past weekend in Milwaukee after opening his tenure with the Padres with three straight poor starts, but Hill reclaimed a spot in the San Diego rotation this week with Yu Darvish (elbow) heading to the 15-day injured list. Though Hill was spared the loss Wednesday, his performance didn't inspire much confidence that he'll be able to hold down a rotation spot once Darvish is back in the fold. Through five outings with San Diego since being acquired from Pittsburgh on Aug. 1, Hill has gone 0-3 with an 8.50 ERA and 1.61 WHIP over 18 innings.
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Padres' Rich Hill: Rejoining rotation Wednesday
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Hill is scheduled to start Wednesday's game against the Cardinals in St. Louis.
After going 0-3 with 9.53 ERA and 1.50 WHIP over his first three starts with the Padres following his acquisition from the Pirates at the trade deadline, Hill had his turn in the rotation skipped last week. He ended up working in relief in Friday's loss to Milwaukee, giving up two runs on four hits and two walks over 2.2 innings. Despite his continued poor results, Hill will get a chance to step back into the San Diego rotation this week, filling the vacancy that was created when Yu Darvish (elbow) was placed on the 15-day injured list Monday.
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Padres' Rich Hill: Turn in rotation gets skipped
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Hill is no longer lined up to make his next turn through the rotation this weekend in Milwaukee, as the Padres have instead named Pedro Avila their starter for Saturday's game against the Brewers, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.
The Padres haven't formally announced that Hill will be removed from the rotation, but the veteran southpaw will have at least one turn skipped after going 0-3 with a 9.53 ERA and 1.50 WHIP in three starts since being acquired from the Pirates on Aug. 1. Hill should be available out of the bullpen this weekend and could even piggyback Avila on Saturday. Whether Hill will rejoin the rotation or continue working out of the bullpen next week will likely hinge on how Avila fares in Milwaukee.
Padres' Rich Hill: Pitches better but still takes loss
Rotowire
Hill (7-13) took the loss against Arizona on Thursday, allowing three runs on two hits and one walk while striking out three batters over five innings.
Hill had gone a total of 6.1 frames and surrendered nine runs over his first two appearances since joining San Diego, so his five-inning, three-run outing Thursday was a step forward. The veteran hurler retired the first 10 batters he faced and gave up only three baserunners in total, but all three scored, with homers by Tommy Pham and Gabriel Moreno responsible for the damage. Hill has lost all three of his starts as a Padre, posting a 9.53 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 11:3 K:BB over 11.1 frames during that stretch.
