Veteran left-hander Rich Hill is expected to return to the majors with the Kansas City Royals and could pitch as early as Tuesday, sources say.
Hill, 45, becomes the oldest active player in baseball. Hill signed a minor-league contract with the Royals in mid-May and was quickly promoted to Triple-A. He had an opt-out on June 15, but elected to stay with the organization in hopes of being promoted to the majors in Kansas City or with another team, with the team making it clear they wouldn’t get in his way if an opportunity presented itself.
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Rich Hill will get another chance with the Royals
But Hill will get back to the majors with the Royals after the left-hander made nine starts in Triple-A. In a recent outing, he struck out 10 batters and allowed only one run across five innings against Toledo. He became the first 45-year-old to record double-digit strikeouts in a professional outing since Nolan Ryan did it against the A’s on August 6, 1992.
Hill alone will not solve the Royals woes. Kansas City ranks second in team ERA this season, so pitching has not been their problem. If the Royals hope to turn their season around, they will need to acquire some real sluggers at the trade deadline. Unfortunately for them that may not be in the cards. KC is four games under .500, 12 games back in the AL Central and even 5.5 games back in the AL Wild Card.
It’s unclear how the Royals will use Hill, whether it will be in the rotation or bullpen. In 20 career major-league seasons, Hill has thrown 1409 innings and posted a 4.01 ERA with a 24% strikeout rate. In his most recent stint in the majors, he posted a 4.91 ERA across four games with the Boston Red Sox.