The blister woes of Rich Hill have been at the forefront of the conversation when it comes to what's gone wrong for the Dodgers in 2017, and the veteran pitcher joined David Vassegh this week to discuss his ongoing struggles.
Hill has recently performed bullpen sessions with a bandage covering the blister on his pitching hand has hindered him dating back to last season. Obviously, a crucial next step is testing the finger without restriction.
"The closer we get to doing a bullpen session with it completely uncovered, and there's no signs of blistering whatsoever, we're going to be close to getting back," Hill said.
While a blister may appear to be a minor injury on the surface, it is extremely difficult to manage and prevent. There is not much of a preventive to the problem, aside from developing calluses -- a process that Hill described briefly.
"I don't even know if there's anything you can do besides really trying to callus it, which I did," Hill said. "I would rub it on a piece of wood that was rough, and that seemed to help a little bit. But I'm definitely finding some things we do in the training room helpful. For example, the rice bucket, and just grabbing rice and continuously toughening up that finger. So there are some things we have been doing that are helping it."
Listen to the full interview with Rich Hill below.