Red Sox select 44-year-old Rich Hill to active roster
BOSTON, MA—The Boston Red Sox today announced the following roster moves:
- Selected left-handed pitcher Rich Hill to the active Major League roster from Triple-A Worcester. He will wear number 44.
- Recalled right-handed pitcher Greg Weissert from Worcester.
- Placed right-handed pitcher Lucas Sims on the 15-Day Injured List with a right lat strain.
- Designated right-handed pitcher Brad Keller for assignment.
Hill, 44, signed a minor league contract with the Red Sox on Aug. 16. The left-hander started for Triple-A Worcester on Friday at Norfolk, tossing 2.0 scoreless innings with two strikeouts, one walk, and one hit batsman.
Hill turned down three Major League offers last winter so he could coach his son Brice’s final Little League season in Milton, Mass., but he always planned on returning to the mound. It just so happened to be a reunion with the Red Sox.
“This is a special place,” Hill said in a phone interview with MLB.com on Aug. 18. “Boston’s one of the best places to play in the league, if not the best, just because of the ballpark. But it’s really what the fans bring to the game, because you get that immediate feedback. When you get to play at the highest level, that’s what you want. You want to get that feedback.”
Hill has played for 13 Major League teams, tied for second most in Major League history behind only Edwin Jackson (14). With his first appearance of 2024, Hill would become the only player to appear in at least one game in each of the last 20 seasons (2005-24). He would join Tim Wakefield as the only pitchers ever to play for the Red Sox at the age of 44 or older, as Wakefield’s final Major League outing came on Sept. 25, 2011, at the age of 45.
In 19 Major League seasons, Hill is 90-73 with a 4.01 ERA (626 ER/1,405.1 IP) in 382 appearances (248 starts) with the Chicago Cubs (2005-08), Baltimore Orioles (2009), Red Sox (2010-12, ’15, ’22), Cleveland (2013), Los Angeles Angels (2014), New York Yankees (2014), Oakland A’s (2016), Los Angeles Dodgers (2016-19), Minnesota Twins (2020), Tampa Bay Rays (2021), New York Mets (2021), Pittsburgh Pirates (2023), and San Diego Padres (2023). He has also made 13 Postseason appearances (12 starts) for the Cubs (2007) and Dodgers (2016-19), going 1-2 with a 3.06 ERA (18 ER/53.0 IP).
Born in Boston, Hill graduated from Milton High School before attending the University of Michigan and being selected by the Cubs in the fourth round of the 2002 First-Year Player Draft. In 2019, Hill earned the Tony Conigliaro Award, presented annually by the Red Sox to a Major Leaguer who has overcome adversity through the attributes of spirit, determination, and courage.
Weissert, 29, has recorded a 4.10 ERA (22 ER/48.1 IP) with 49 strikeouts in 47 games with Boston this season. The right-hander has also posted a 1.50 ERA (1 ER/6.0 IP) in four games with Worcester. Originally selected by the New York Yankees in the 18th round of the 2016 First-Year Player Draft, the New York native owns a 4.29 ERA (38 ER/79.2 IP) in 76 career games with the Yankees (2022-23) and Red Sox (2024).
Sims, 30, was acquired by Boston from the Cincinnati Reds on July 30 and has recorded an 8.10 ERA (9 ER/10.0 IP) in 11 games for the Red Sox. The right-hander also pitched in 43 games for the Reds this season, posting a 3.57 ERA (14 ER/35.1 IP). Originally selected by the Atlanta Braves in the first round (No. 21 overall) of the 2012 First-Year Player Draft, the Georgia native owns a 4.53 ERA (152 ER/302.0 IP) in 241 career games Atlanta (2017-18), Cincinnati (2018-24), and Boston (2024).
Keller, 29, was signed by Boston as a minor league free agent on Aug. 14 after electing free agency on August 13. The right-hander has recorded a 5.44 ERA (25 ER/41.1 IP) in 16 Major League games (two starts) this season for the Chicago White Sox (five games) and Boston (11 games). Previously signed by the Red Sox as a free agent on May 26, the right-hander also owns a 3.00 ERA (10 ER/30.0 IP) in nine games (six starts) with Worcester.