Free-agent lefty Rich Hill won’t be ready for the start of the 2020 season after undergoing primary revision surgery, reports WEEI’s Rob Bradford. It’s unlikely that the 39-year-old would be ready to return until June, and he could be delayed into July as well.
A source familiar with the procedure tells MLBTR that the operation is similar to the Tommy John alternative that right-hander Seth Maness underwent a few years go. Primary revision (also sometimes referred to as “primary repair”) is a less-intrusive repair of a tear in a player’s ulnar collateral ligament and comes with a shorter rehab period. However, not all UCL tears make for good candidates to undergo the operation. The procedure is dependent on the general health of the tissue as well as the placement and extent of the tear. Hill, who actually pitched through the injury for some of the 2019 season, was deemed a good candidate for the lesser-known procedure.
Although he’ll turn 40 next March, Hill has voiced a desire to continue pitching as long as he can and has been vocal about his desire to return to the Dodgers. He’s also expressed some interest in pitching with the Red Sox again, as a Boston native whose family still resides in the area. Now, rather than opening the season in a rotation, Hill could instead be a midseason reinforcement. Whether he’ll sign a contract this winter and attempt to rehab with his 2020 team or wait until he’s able to demonstrate his health for clubs next summer isn’t known.
Knee issues and a forearm strain wiped out a fair bit of Hill’s 2019 season, limiting him to 58 2/3 innings in what was the final season of a three-year, $48MM contract with the Dodgers. But Hill was excellent when healthy enough to take the ball, pitching to a 2.45 ERA with a 72-to-18 K/BB ratio and a 49.6 percent ground-ball rate in that time. Hill missed time in each of the three seasons of that contract with L.A. but did log a 3.30 earned run average with nearly 11.0 K/9 in a total of 327 regular-season innings (plus another 37 innings of 2.43 ERA ball).
Since resurrecting his career with the Red Sox late in the 2015 season, Hill has pitched 466 1/3 innings with a 2.91 ERA, 10.7 K/9, 2.8 BB/9 and 1.0 HR/9.
Seems like instead of announcing that Rich Hill is injured, maybe it should only be announced when he’s healthy.
Yeah. I don’t see anyone signing him now. At least until halfway through the season. Even then it will probably just be a partial season minor league deal. Either that or he just doesn’t sign at all. At that point though, who really wants a seriously injury prone 42 year old coming off of surgery? Just call it a career Rich. Walk off into the sunset coming off a decent season. That’s more than most players can say.
42? He’s 39. Some team would likely be willing to roll the dice on a minor league contract with Hill as a reliever.
I see no reason for Hill to hang them up as he is still very effective when he’s able to take the bump. If a guy like him wants to play for the minimum then by all means I would sign him today. His days of 16mil per are long gone but he doesn’t need to retire.
Rich Hill will miss half the season? NO WAY!!
Stop the presses!!! This is news…why?
why did he wait
You tried making an appointment to see your primary recently?
There’s no way he goes to the same type of hospitals we go to. And if he does, he doesn’t wait months on end to schedule an appt. can’t compare the general public to a professional baseball player who has accumulated tens of millions of dollars
Do they have “MLB only” hospitals and doctors?
Hear that? Its the sound of someone sucking all the fun out of the room.
You really are a spaceball, you know that?
Upvoted
Dark Helmet or Colonel Sanders?
Andrew, Ever hear of sarcasm
No doubt! If he pitched thru it, he should’ve been under the knife right after. He shouldn’t of pitched thru it. If ever “time was of the essence”….
He’s been really good for an old, oft-injured pitcher. Someone should try to piggyback with him. Like a T. Chatwood
I think there is something to having a “piggyback” system for your -#5 spot in the rotation. Or maybe 2 rotation spots. Take my Cubs for example…Chatwood and A. Mills -different velo
Ideally I’d have it go 4 & 4 and a closer
Tigers release Drew VerHagan so he can persue a career in japan
Such a shame how much injuries have derailed him over the last 4 years. Hopefully he finds a minor league deal with the Dodgers at some point
While I admire Hill’s resilience and desire to pitch, there’s no way I’d spend a dime on his failing baseball health.
Minor league deal for the minimum with incentives makes sense. 600k isn’t much of a gamble for a ML club.
Understood. I just think it’s an exercise in frustration. Good luck to Hill, I enjoy watching him pitch.
So where did all the General Managers disperse to after gorging themselves in expensive Scottsdale restaurants? Any chance they will recover and do some work before Christmas?
Well AA has been busy, the other ones must still be hibernating.
Hopefully this keeps the Dodgers from re-signing him. I want nothing to do with Hill but knowing how Friedman works. Richard will be given 1 year deals for the next 3 years. Until his arm literally falls off of his body.
rich hill is done,he got 45 million the last three years. he said he was tired in a world series game and needed to come out, after four innings of one hit ball. RIP blister boy
In 2017 he was pissed to come out and the game you think he was ‘tired” was in the 7th inning..
“bluemarc” is Dave Roberts’ burner account
I got one word for you Rich Hill with four syllables……….Retirement.
Hard to take advice from someone who can’t count syllables correctly
Wait … what?
@paddyo875 Clearly your mama should have done a better job home schooling you. It’s okay little boy, it’s never too late to get an education. Good luck to you.
It’s time to put this old horse out of its misery and take him to the glue factory. This dude has always been injured and not worth giving him a contract.
the Dodgers will definitely resign him now….perhaps equivalent to a Jason Schmidt contract….idiots
He could come in handy late in the season when you need to give guys a rest maybe even use him as a multi inning relief option cause he’s probably not gonna give many innings if he’ll stay unhealthy after this
Hang up the spikes old man.
The Dodgers don’t mind dealing with oft-injured pitchers. They’ll probably resign him.
Lefty with playoff experience = he’ll pitch again in MLB. Hoping for a successful recovery, Rich. We were at a Dodger game this season and a kid came running back near our seats with a set of signed cleats from Rich Hill. I saw the kid standing there and he said “good luck Rich!” (he was not starting that day) … Rich stopped, noticed the boy, disappeared, then came back with the signed cleats. The kid almost fainted. Ha.
A lefty with playoff experience who needs to be pitching a no hitter to pitch more than 4 innings. I always thought it was stupid to have him as part of the postseason rotation. Especially when the weakest part of your team is the bullpen.
Rich Hill arm surgery, shocking….
He’s a lefty. As long as he does well in an audition mid-season, he’ll find a taker. Despite his streak of IL stints, I liked him as a Dodger. However,
– Dave Roberts pulled him too early from his starts in the 2017 WS, twice.
– And the Dodgers were unfortunately unable to score a run in order to get him a win and perfect game.
Very persistent and gritty career but those two events stick out.
I thought he was going after Cal Ripken’s iron man steak. Guess not now !
When I saw this article I thought immediately that he should retire. Then I looked at his stats. They are amazing. He hasn’t pitched much, but he’s been one of the top pitchers in baseball when he has the last 6-7 years. If he’s completely healthy he might get a Sweet 1/2 season contract and end up right in a pennant race.
Could make sense for a team with a young/recovery pitcher on a innings limit.
Like the Dodgers could use him to limit Julio Urias innings.
Or the Rays could use him as the long guy after an opener.