Red Sox activating 44-year-old veteran after recent signing
No, it’s not 2010. That was Rich Hill’s sixth MLB season and first with the Boston Red Sox. 14 years later, Hill is returning to Boston to pitch in the major leagues for a 20th season. The Red Sox activated the 44-year-old Tuesday less than two weeks after signing Hill to a minor league contract, per Robert Murray.
The Massachusetts native last pitched in MLB in 2023, posting a 5.41 ERA with the Pittsburgh Pirates and San Diego Padres. He spent five seasons with the Red Sox, the last in 2022 when he started 26 games. This is Hill’s fourth stint with the Red Sox, the franchise he’s spent the longest time with. He’s appeared in a major league game for 13 teams.
Hill will surpass Justin Verlander as the oldest active MLB player when he takes the mound for Boston. He’ll be the first 44-year-old pitcher in the bigs since Bartolo Colon, who turned 45 during his final season in 2018.
Rich Hill has tossed over 1,400 innings and has 90 MLB wins. He has a 4.01 ERA and appeared in 13 postseason games, including a start against the Red Sox in the 2018 World Series as a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Red Sox desperate for production from rotation
Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
It’s been a tale of two seasons for Boston’s starting rotation in 2024. What was once the team’s identity has now become the focal point of their recent struggles.
Red Sox starters ranked seventh in ERA during the first half, accumulating 9.2 fWAR. The staff’s ERA has ballooned to 5.24 since the All-Star break with their strikeout and walk rates trending in the wrong direction. Only the Los Angeles Angels and Chicago White Sox, the two worst teams in the American League, have fewer wins from starting pitchers in the second half than Boston.
The bullpen has had to eat many innings and hasn’t been sharp either. Red Sox relievers have thrown the sixth-most innings since the All-Star break with a league-worst 6.62 ERA.
It remains to be seen how the Red Sox will utilize Rich Hill, but there’s no doubt he’ll be tasked with knocking out a few innings during each outing. There aren’t many expectations you can put on a 44-year-old pitcher with a month left in the season. Any value Hill exudes will be a bonus for Boston.
The post Red Sox activating 44-year-old veteran after recent signing appeared first on ClutchPoints.
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