The Los Angeles Dodgers reinstated Rich Hill from the 10-day disabled list for a start Tuesday against the San Francisco Giants. Hill’s outing at AT&T Park will be his first in a Major League game since April 16.
Hill has twice been on the DL through the first six weeks of the 2017 season. His first stint was the minimum 10 days. That return from the chronic blister on his left middle finger proved premature.
Hill managed to pitch just three innings in his first start back. The Dodgers took a more deliberate approach with the southpaw’s recovery the second time around.
With that, manager Dave Roberts expressed confidence Hill is prepared to pitch, via Bill Plunkett of the O.C. Register:
“We’ve kind of gone through this whole program before. I think we’ve done everything we can to prepare him. He’s prepared himself. So we’re going to expect him to go out there and have it go well.”
The 37-year-old threw five hitless innings in his final rehab assignment with High-A Rancho Cucamonga. That came after Roberts said he implored Hill to improve on his first outing with the Quakes — an abridged two-thirds of an inning.
Due to only throwing 29 pitches in the game, Hill finished his work (31 pitches) in the bullpen. Roberts also mentioned results were paramount, considering Hill was looking to return after the second rehab start.
While there is optimism, should Hill’s blister again become an issue, the Dodgers may at that point elect to place him in the bullpen. There was previous consideration to making that a reality because of his perplexing blister trouble.
