Rich Hill Travels With Red Sox, Will Start Vs. Rangers On Saturday

After more than a week away from the team, the Boston Red Sox are ready to welcome Rich Hill back to the rotation.

Hill met the team in Texas for Boston’s three-game series against the Texas Rangers and will get the start Saturday, according to manager Alex Cora, per MassLive’s Christopher Smith.

“The goal is for him to start tomorrow,” Cora told reporters Friday. “I saw him this morning. He feels great. He’s doing OK. So obviously he gets one day to move around, but we’re pretty confident he’ll be the guy tomorrow.”

Hill was placed on the COVID-19 injured list on May 6, with his last start coming on May 5 against the Los Angeles Angels.

There is a chance Josh Winckowski could start for the Red Sox on Sunday, as he was pulled after two innings in his Wednesday start with Triple-A Worcester. Cora also hinted Sunday could be a bullpen game.

“There’s a chance, but obviously, there’s a lot of moving parts for that to happen,” Cora said. “At the same time, like I said, the first two days will dictate what we do on Sunday.”

Nick Pivetta gets the start Friday night as the Red Sox hope to rebound from their walk-off loss to the Atlanta Braves. You can watch their series opener live on NESN.