We hear it all the time: A pitcher goes out on a rehab assignment with one of their minor league affiliates, they throw their predetermined number of pitches and / or innings, and they proclaim themselves healthy enough to rejoin their big league club. In many cases, perhaps even most, it’s hogwash. After all, it took Dodgers ace and future Hall of Famer Clayton Kershaw two rehab starts to finally be deemed fit to return to action.

Thirty-nine-year-old Dodgers left-hander Rich Hill, who made his first rehab start on Wednesday night with the Dodgers Advanced Single-A Rancho Cucamonga Quakes against the Lake Elsinore Storm (Padres) at The Diamond in Lake Elsinore does not need another rehab assignment; and that is not hogwash.

Hill is working his way back from a strained medial collateral ligament (MCL) in his left knee suffered one month ago to the day during a spring training game on March 17. Throughout his recovery process, he threw several bullpen sessions and even pitched a simulated game last Friday. In other words, his month on the Injured List had absolutely nothing to do with his arm.

“I feel extremely ready, but that’s somewhat not up to me,” Hill said, when asked if he would need a second rehab start. “So I’ve got to talk [with Dodgers trainers] tomorrow. As much as I want to get out there and get going, we’ll see, that’s all I can say.”

Judging by what we saw on Wednesday night, the extremely popular Boston, Massachusetts native and 14-year MLB veteran is indeed “extremely ready.”

All Hill did was allow no runs and only two infield hits (one a bunt), while walking none and striking out eight in his 4.0 innings pitched. His fastball topped out at 93-mph and his variety of curveballs, his mainstay, were downright unhittable.

“I felt great the way the ball came out, got stronger as the innings went along,” Hill told reporters after his outing, which included another dozen or so pitches in the bullpen after his four live-game innings. “I don’t know what the numbers were, spin rate or whatever you want to call it, but I can tell when it’s coming out of my hand the way I did today that it was good.”

Asked it the intensity of a minor league game at the High-A level was a true test for him, Hill was very direct in his answer.

“I approach it like any other time I get on the mound, just attack and pitch with conviction and bring a high level of intensity,” he answered. “It’s not really a matter of where it is, it’s just how you’re going to go about your business and what’s your identity when you go out there on the mound … a professional, major league pitcher who is going to continue as hard as I can for as long as I can.

“It’s not something that’s gonna change, whether it’s a rehab start or in the bullpen or in the playoffs or World Series.”

Hill was asked what, if anything, he shared with his Quakes teammates on Wednesday night, many of whom were 17 and 18-years his junior. His message was simple and very direct.

“Go out there and show them, ‘Look, it doesn’t matter where you are or where you’re playing, you bring the same attitude and the same effort no matter where it is; whether it’s on the back fields of Arizona or an inner city men’s league game, to be honest with you,'” Hill answered. “It’s going to be the same. It’s about your attitude and your effort, and being in the moment. The more times you can build that up, and the more times you can consistently have that attitude, you learn to keep yourself in the moment and stay in the moment.”

Rich Hill is “extremely ready.”

    *    *    *    *    *