Boston Red Sox Sign Veteran Pitcher For Fourth Stint

The Boston Red Sox's starting rotation has outperformed expectations for much of the 2024 regular season but has faltered heavily in recent weeks as most of their arms have already passed their career high in innings.

The team's stopgap replacement at the Trade Deadline was bringing in southpaw James Paxton from the Dodgers, but a serious calf injury has seemingly ended his season early. President of Baseball Operations Craig Breslow has brought back an old friend for support amid concerning drops in starter effectiveness and ongoing bullpen struggles.

44-year-old left-hander Rich Hill, who last pitched with the Pittsburgh Pirates and San Diego Padres in 2023, was inked to a minor league deal in the late hours of August 15th. Hill has been working toward an MLB return and held a showcase recently, where the Red Sox were one of a handful of teams present.

This will become Hill's fourth stint with Boston and the eighth time signing a free-agent contract with the team, pitching from 2010-2012, 2015, and 2022. He posted a 4.45 ERA through 89 innings in his first 16 starts in 2023 with Pittsburgh, before heavily regressing to a 6.91 ERA in his last 16 appearances (11 starts/ 5 relief).

The addition of Hill to the 2024 roster is likely rooted far more in his availability than his performance upside, as the team desperately needs starters to work deeper into games and limit the chances for a bullpen implosion. Hill's effectiveness during his fourth time in a Red Sox uniform is anyone's guess, but at the very least he should provide much-needed rest to a declining rotation.