Rich Hill soon will don a Red Sox uniform once again.
Hill signed up for a fourth tour of duty in the Boston organization earlier this month, but the pact was a minor-league deal with no guarantees of a promotion. However, the Red Sox on Tuesday decided to add the veteran left-hander to their active roster, as first reported by FanSided's Robert Murray and later confirmed by WEEI's Rob Bradford.
By joining the Red Sox before Sept. 1, Hill will be eligible to pitch for Boston in the postseason should the club secure a playoff berth.
Hill earned a call-up to The Show after only one outing with Triple-A Worcester, albeit a very impressive one. The 44-year-old threw two hitless innings with two strikeouts Friday night and acknowledged he "felt great" both during and after the performance.
The reported activation arrived at a fitting time. Boston needed both a spark and some relief on its pitching staff following a doubleheader sweep at the hands of Toronto Blue Jays on Monday at Fenway Park. Alex Cora's club used nine pitchers between the pair of contests, four of whom logged at least one full inning.
Whenever Hill makes his season debut for the Red Sox, it will mark his first big league action since Oct. 1 of last year.
