Red Sox reportedly close to signing 44-year-old Rich Hill to contract

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Red Sox

This would stand as Hill’s fourth stint with his hometown Red Sox team.

Red Sox pitcher Rich Hill reacts after getting the final out of the top of the fourth inning, still upset about the Rays' Manuel Margot (not pictured) moving him up for a two-run home run earlier in the frame. The Boston Red Sox hosted the Tampa Bay Rays in a regular season MLB baseball game at Fenway Park.

Rich Hill is reportedly back with the Red Sox for a fourth stint. Jim Davis/Boston Globe

The Red Sox are reportedly close to bringing back a local product in 44-year-old pitcher Rich Hill.

According to WEEI’s Rob BradfordThe Red Sox are finalizing a minor league deal with Hill, with the Milton native giving Boston some additional reinforcements for a beleaguered rotation.

According to Bradford, Hill participated in a three-team showcase at Champion Physical Therapy and Performance in Waltham on Friday. The southpaw delivered more than 100 pitches as part of his workload.

This would stand as Hill’s fourth stint with his hometown Red Sox team. He played from Boston in 2010-12, 2015 and made 22 starts in the 2022 season.

Hill pitched in the 2023 season and made a total of 27 starts between the Pirates and Padres, posting a 5.41 ERA over 146.1 innings of work.

Although he fielded major-league contract offers this past offseason, Hill opted to sit out the first five months of the 2024 campaign to coach his 12-year-old son, Brice, in Little League.

Hill’s addition comes at a critical time for the Red Sox, especially with veteran lefty James Paxton’s season likely over after suffering a partially torn calf Sunday against the Astros.

Hill could potentially bump righty Cooper Criswell out of the rotation, though it remains to be seen how much the 44-year-old Hill has left in the tank at this stage of his career.