Los Angeles Dodgers starter Rich Hill has been plagued by blisters the last few years, missing time in each of the past three seasons due to various finger issues.
His most recent injury came on May 19 against the Washington Nationals when Hill threw just two pitches before having to be removed from the game and placed on the 10-day disabled list. His blister, which already had forced Hill to come out of a game, ripped open.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts’ original timetable for Hill was four weeks, which is just around the corner. It seems like Hill is getting closer and closer to being able to return each day, as he threw his first simulated game without tape on his finger on Tuesday in Pittsburgh.
Given that he hasn’t been able to contribute much so far this season, only making five starts plus the two-pitch outing in Washington, Hill is willing to pitch in relief if that will allow him to return from the DL, via Ken Gurnick of MLB.com:
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.”
Roberts said that is a possibility for Hill and is happy that he is willing to contribute to the team in any role:
“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.”
Pitching out of the bullpen is not something that is foreign to Hill, as he has made 137 relief appearances in his 14-year Major League career. He has a 4.38 career ERA as a reliever compared to 3.98 as a starter. Moving Hill to the bullpen was also something the Dodgers considered last season when he was dealing with blisters, although they eventually opted against it.
Regardless of what role he comes back in, Hill will likely require at least a short rehab assignment before being activated from the disabled list.
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