Rich Hill To Red Sox? Veteran ‘Definitely Interested’ In Boston Return

The Boston Red Sox lost a starting pitcher for the foreseeable future this week with Lucas Giolito going down with an injury.

But could Giolito’s replacement already be in Fort Myers?

Rich Hill, who hasn’t hung up his cleats yet and is in search of a ball club for his 20th big league season, was around his former team Wednesday and is open to a Red Sox reunion.

“I mean, yeah, definitely interested… especially from the player’s standpoint,” Hill said during the Red Sox radio broadcast, per the Boston Herald’s Gabrielle Starr.

Hill already has had three separate stints with the Red Sox in his career. The left-hander last pitched for Boston in 2022, compiling an 8-7 record over 26 starts with a 4.27 ERA and a 1.303 WHIP. The Milton, Mass. native spent last season pitching for the Pittsburgh Pirates and San Diego Padres, posting an 8-14 mark with 5.41 ERA.

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Hill’s tank has to be close to empty but he would be a low-cost veteran arm for the Red Sox. And it’s tough to find any pitcher that has the experience of Hill, who turns 44 next week. While Hill can eat up innings on the mound, he could also provide value by being a mentor for Boston’s youthful arms.

The Red Sox could just look at internal candidates to fill the hole left by Giolito in the starting rotation. Garrett Whitlock, Tanner Houck and Josh Winckowski were all battling out for the fifth and final rotation spot before Giolito’s injury.

Whether it’s Hill or pitchers already on the roster, Red Sox president of baseball operations Craig Breslow has plenty of options on the table.

“We’re still trying to process exactly what we have in front of us, and what kind of timeline we’re dealing with,” Breslow said Tuesday when he stopped by the NESN broadcast booth during Boston’s spring training game. “I think we feel good about the group that we have here, and we’ll give them every chance to grab hold of rotation spots and come together as a staff.”