Rich Hill is on the DL with a blister (again)

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Here’s a headline you’ve sadly but definitely seen before: Rich Hill is headed to the disabled list with a blister. Though there were no mentions of potential blisters after Hill made his first start of the year earlier this week — allowing one run in five innings — the team announced yesterday that he’d be headed to the 10-day DL due to a sore on the middle finger of his left hand.

On its face, this could end up being very minor in scope — just missing one or two starts at most — but it doesn’t bode well for a pitcher who spent most of last year’s second half sidelined by blisters that just refused to go away (no matter what he tried).

Hill has one of the most unique success stories in the game, reinventing himself as a starter in his mid-30s after years in the bullpen and a stint in indy ball. For the past year-and-a-half, when he’s been healthy, he’s been among the best in baseball, and the Los Angeles Dodgers gambled on his health with a three-year, $48 million contract for the 37-year-old this winter. To see him already plagued by the same issue that sidelined him last year, then, is troubling.

It’s also frustrating for a rotation whose depth was tested frequently last season. The 2016 Dodgers set a record for sending players to the disabled list, and last year’s rotation often felt more like a grab bag of whoever happened to be healthy rather than anything offering consistency or routine. The team is already dealing with an injured Scott Kazmir, and so even though it has the depth to cover it, adding a blister-ridden Hill to the mix is not the most auspicious start to the year.