Royals sign 45-year-old pitcher Rich Hill to minor-league deal, would be 14th MLB team

The Kansas City Royals are giving Rich Hill another chance to pitch in the big leagues.

The Royals signed the 45-year-old left-hander to a minor-league deal Tuesday, and he will report soon to the club's spring training facility in Surprise, Arizona. Once he gets up to speed, Hill likely will head to Triple-A Omaha and try to prove he can still help a major league ballclub with designs on contending for the postseason.

Kansas City entered Tuesday night's game in Houston tied for second in the AL Central.

"I love Rich," Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. "I was with him for a year in Tampa. It’s remarkable that he’s still pitching, that he still has the drive to want to do it and go to Triple-A and continue to compete. That’s one thing that stands out about him is he is the ultimate competitor. Nobody wants to win more than that guy. Nobody’s more fiery than he is. So, I think it’s tremendous that he still has that drive and he can continue to compete."

Hill made his big-league debut with the Chicago Cubs in 2005, and he has made 248 starts and appeared in 386 games over the past two decades. He has a 4.01 ERA with 1,428 strikeouts while pitching for 13 different franchises; the Royals would be the 14th should he get called up, joining Edwin Jackson as the only players to play for that many clubs.

Hill made four appearances out of the Bostin Red Sox bullpen last season before he was designated for assignment in September. His best season was in 2016, when he went 12-5 with a 2.12 ERA while pitching for the Oakland Athletics and the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Reporting by The Associated Press.

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