Red Sox signing 44-year-old pitcher for playoff push

Mar 31, 2017; Anaheim, CA, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Rich Hill (44) looks on in the second inning of the game against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium of Anaheim. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Rich Hill will be back for a fourth tour of duty in the state of Massachusetts.

Rob Bradford of WEEI reported Thursday that the veteran left-hander Hill is close to formalizing a deal with the Boston Red Sox. It will be a minor-league contract for Hill, who reportedly impressed the Red Sox with a workout last week.

The 44-year-old Hill was the oldest active player in Major League Baseball last season and is several years older than the oldest player currently on an MLB roster (41-year-old Justin Verlander of the Houston Astros). After he took the first several months of the 2024 season off to coach his son’s Little League team, Hill has been on the comeback trail for the last month or so and appears to be getting his chance with the Red Sox.

Hill already pitched three earlier stints for the Red Sox (from 2010-12, then again in 2015, and once more in 2022). A native of Massachusetts who now lives in nearby Connecticut, the match still makes sense for Hill. The Red Sox are in the thick of the AL Wild Card race at 63-56 and will now have another go with Hill (who also had interest from a slightly better team).