Rich Hill is on the move. Again.
The Kansas City Royals announced Tuesday they’ve signed the 45-year-old pitcher to a minor-league deal. Hill will reportedly report to the club’s Spring Training facility in Surprise, Ariz., before heading to their Triple-A affiliate in Omaha, Neb., in search of a big-league call-up.
Should Hill make it back to the majors, he’d tie journeyman pitcher Edwin Jackson by playing for an MLB-record 14 different teams.
Hill last pitched in 2024 for the Boston Red Sox. After inking a minor-league deal, Hill had a 4.91 ERA in four games (3.2 innings) as a reliever. He was designated for assignment in September.
Prior to that, he was coaching his son’s Little League team in Milton, Mass.
Southpaw’s Longevity Well-Documented
Since breaking into the big leagues in 2005, Hill has been all over the map. He bounced between six organizations over his first 10 seasons, pitching for the Chicago Cubs, Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, Cleveland Indians, Los Angeles Angels and New York Yankees.
In 2007, Hill threw a career-high 195 innings as a Cub, finishing 11-8 with a 3.92 ERA. Arguably his best stretch came from 2016-21, when he won 48 games and recorded a 3.22 ERA.
In 386 career games spanning 20 seasons, Hill is 90-74 with a 4.01 ERA and 1,428 strikeouts over 1,409 innings.
In pitching last August, Hill became the only active player to appear in an MLB game in each of the last 20 seasons. He called the milestone “special.”
“I just think effort and work,” Hill said that night when asked about the secret behind his longevity. “… It’s work. Just keep putting in the days, one drop in the bucket every day.”
Hill Tossing Bullpens, Staying in Shape
In January, Hill shut down talk of retirement in an interview with the San Francisco Chronicle, saying he planned to pitch in 2025.
If and when he’s promoted to the majors, Hill will surpass 42-year-old Justin Verlander as the league’s oldest active player. He would also become the oldest pitcher to log an appearance since Bartolo Colon started in September 2018 (45 years, 121 days).
Hill recently told the Baseball Isn’t Boring podcast that he’s been throwing bullpens to stay in shape and aims to be MLB-ready within three weeks.
“The ball’s coming out of my hand great,” Hill said. “Probably better than it has in the last couple of years.”
He added: “Physically, everything is there, and I feel extremely strong and healthy. Now, it will just be somebody taking the opportunity to get reps under my belt and get back into more game-type situations.”
Hill’s last game action was in November, when he threw four shutout innings for Team USA in the Premier12 super-round in Tokyo.
Kansas City entered Wednesday third in the American League at 25-19, 3.5 games out of first place. Royals manager Matt Quatraro, who briefly crossed paths with Hill in 2021 as the Tampa Bay Rays’ bench coach, holds him in high regard.
“That’s one thing that stands out about him — he is the ultimate competitor,” Quatraro said via MLB.com. “Nobody wants to win more than that guy. Nobody is more fiery than he is.”
Royals Pitcher Poised to Tie MLB Record After Signing Minor-League Deal