Rich Hill returned to free agency after a multi-week run with the Boston Red Sox which saw the left-hander pitch less than four innings of relief before returning to free agency, but with the 2024 season not concluded yet, the 44-year-old isn't quitting.
Hill was released by the Red Sox on Tuesday, closing the door on the 20-year veteran's fourth stint in Boston. Now, back on the market once again, Hill remains active in pursuit of another opportunity to contribute to a big league team this season, per WEEI's Rob Bradford. Hill hosted a showcase in August before signing with the Red Sox, which caught the interest of multiple team representatives in attendance.
Boston, like many postseason-chasing clubs across the league in need of pitching depth, utilized Hill as a reliever, however, didn't show enough to stick around. Hill tossed 3 2/3 innings across four appearances, allowing two runs while striking out five batters to notch a 4.91 ERA on the short sample size. The final opportunity with the Red Sox came last Wednesday when Hill walked two batters and recorded one out when called upon in the eighth inning of a brutal 8-3 loss to the New York Mets.
The Red Sox chose to promote 24-year-old prospect Luis Guerrerro from Triple-A Worcester, leaving Hill as Boston's odd man out in the clubhouse. Guerrerro, an intriguing and hard-throwing relief pitcher, recorded two outs during his MLB debut Sunday. That productive series win over the Chicago White Sox, coupled with a 12-3 blowout of the Baltimore Orioles on Monday night, pushed Boston to within three games of the Minnesota Twins in the American League wild card standings.
Although there's less than a month's worth of games to play in the regular season, Hill could generate promising interest from a postseason contender before the door officially closes and free agency becomes the next option for a return.
