PITTSBURGH -- Sidelined three times this season with blister issues on his middle finger, left-hander Rich Hill threw a combined 100 pitches in the bullpen and to hitters on Tuesday. Sixty of the pitches were thrown with his finger uncovered.
"I still need to fine-tune a few things, but it's been much better," said Hill, who has not pitched since May 19, when he threw two pitches against Washington and had to come out. "It's callousing really well. ... I'd love to come back right now."
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Hill has progressed, but that it would be "a reach right now" to expect a sustained outing with the finger uncovered. Major League Baseball recently denied Hill's request to pitch with tape on the damaged digit.
There is no timetable for Hill's return, but he said that he would consider coming out of the bullpen for the Dodgers "if that would make the process go faster."
Said Roberts, "That's a conversation we haven't had yet. That's something we could entertain, we could talk about. It's great that Rich is open to that."