The Red Sox called up Rich Hill from Pawtucket before Friday night's game against the White Sox, completing his recovery from Tommy John Surgery. Justin Thomas was optioned to Triple-A Pawtucket to make room for the move.
It's an appropriate time for Hill to arrive, given that his injury ocurred on the first of June last year during a series against the White Sox. Now he could have a chance to finish the outing that ended his season in 2011.
Said season was off to a strong start before the injury, with eight scoreless innings of work and 12 strikeouts to just a pair of walks. His curveball has looked nigh unhittable at times, and it proved largely the same in his rehab stint in the minors, allowing five hits and two walks in nine innings of work, striking out 19.
As big of an addition as hill can be, Sox fans also have to be incredibly relieved to see Thomas head back to the minors. Despite showing a complete inability to record outs, even against the lefties he was specifically supposed to excel against, Thomas was called on time and again in important moments, leaving the Sox high, dry, and more often than not, behind. Addition through subtraction in every sense of the word.