The Washington Nationals agreed to a minor-league deal with right-handed pitcher J.J. Hoover – who spent the first five seasons of his Major League Baseball career with the Cincinnati Reds – according to a report late Friday from mlbtraderumors.com’s Jeff Todd.
The 31-year-old Hoover was designated for assignment last April by the Brewers after allowing a walk-off home run against the St. Louis Cardinals in just his second appearance for Milwaukee.
Hoover had signed a minor-league contract with the Brewers in January. He did not make the Brewers’ big-league roster out of camp, but was promoted shortly after the season started.
Hoover pitched for the Reds from 2012 to 2016 after a trade with the Atlanta Braves for Juan Francisco in April of 2012.
Hoover had his ups and downs for the Reds. In his first two seasons, Hoover allowed just eight home runs in 96 2/3 innings. In 2014, he was 1-10 with a 4.88 ERA. In 2015, he bounced back, going 8-2 with a 2.94 ERA. In 2016, after he was named Cincinnati’s closer, Hoover allowed nine home runs in his 18 2/3 innings and was outrighted.
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In 236 relief appearances for the Reds, he was 16-19 with a 4.12 ERA.
He signed as a free agent with the Diamondbacks in January of 2017 and was 3-1 with a 3.92 ERA in 52 appearances in his only season for Arizona.
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Yasiel Puig, who has been traded to the Cincinnati Reds from the LA Dodgers, speaks to members of the media at the P&G MLB Cincinnati Reds Youth Academy on Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2019.
Albert Cesare, [email protected]
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