Hoover agreed to a minor-league contract Friday with the Nationals, Dave Clark of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.
Hoover made two appearances at the big-league level with the Brewers in 2018 but lost his spot on the 40-man roster and was later released from the organization shortly after serving up a walk-off home run against the Cardinals on April 10. The right-handed reliever took some time away from baseball after getting cut loose by Milwaukee but will try to get his career back on track with the Nationals. Hoover, who owns a 4.17 ERA and 9.3 K/9 across 285 career appearances in the majors, looks destined to open the season at Triple-A Fresno but should at least receive an opportunity to vie for a spot in the big-league bullpen this spring.