Veteran left-hander Rich Hill is back in the big leagues.
Hill was called up by the Royals on Tuesday, when he will make his first MLB appearance of the season in a start against the Cubs at Wrigley Field. With his first pitch for Kansas City, the 45-year-old will tie Edwin Jackson's MLB record by playing for his 14th MLB team. He’ll also become the oldest player in Royals history, eclipsing Gaylord Perry for that distinction.
Hill signed a Minor League deal with the Royals back in May and has been building up over the last few months. The southpaw has a 5.22 ERA and 61 strikeouts across his 11 starts, nine of which have come with Triple-A Omaha.
Despite the lopsided ERA, the Royals have been impressed with Hill’s command in the Minors this season. He has allowed two runs or fewer in six of 11 outings and recently became the first 45-year-old to record double-digit K's in a professional contest since Nolan Ryan did so in 1992. Hill did it in a start with Triple-A Omaha on July 13.
“He's done well,” Quatraro said. “He’s had a couple of ups and downs, performance-wise. But when he's been locating, he’s been really good.”
Hill will be making his first start of the season on Tuesday and will return to the Majors in the same ballpark he made his MLB debut 20 years ago. The left-hander made his first career start on June 15, 2005, at Wrigley Field against the then-Florida Marlins.
The southpaw has pitched for the Cubs, Orioles, Red Sox, Guardians, Angels, Yankees, A's, Dodgers, Twins, Rays, Mets, Pirates and Padres since making his MLB debut in 2005.
A late bloomer, Hill had a career 4.72 ERA through his age-34 season in 2014 before hitting his stride with a 2.92 ERA and 584 strikeouts over 505 innings from ’15-20. He continued to see consistent work as a big league starter through his age-43 campaign in 2023.
The veteran made 27 starts during that 2023 season, including 22 for the Pirates to begin the year. Hill had a 4.76 ERA in those 22 outings and was eventually dealt to the Padres at the Trade Deadline. But after struggling with an 8.23 ERA in 10 appearances (five starts) for the Padres to end the year, the left-hander was limited to just four relief appearances with the Red Sox in 2024.
Right-hander Andrew Hoffmann was optioned to Omaha and outfielder Tyler Gentry was designated for assignment to clear room on the roster for Hill, who is filling Michael Lorenzen’s spot in the rotation on Tuesday after the right-hander landed on the 15-day injured list due to a left oblique strain on July 14 (retroactive to July 11).
“He throws a ton of strikes,” Quatraro said. “He's very athletic and keeps himself in great shape. He can move around the mound well. He can change arm angles. So, everything that he's always done, he's still capable of doing it.”