Former Cincinnati Reds fan favorite Brandon Phillips, a Lexington Legends co-owner and player, announced Wednesday via Twitter that the independent Atlantic League team signed former Reds relief pitcher J.J. Hoover.
Hoover pitched for the Reds from 2012 to 2016, posting a 4.12 ERA in 236 appearances for the team. Phillips was his teammate in Cincinnati during all five seasons.
Hoover suggested earlier this year via social media that he was attempting a comeback. He last pitched in Major League Baseball for the Milwaukee Brewers in 2018.
Tony Cingrani and Jordan Pacheco also are among former Reds on the Legends' roster.
Phillips, who turns 40 later this month, signed with the Legends earlier this month and became the first-ever Atlantic League player to be on the roster for a team that he co-owns, the team announced.
Phillips shared video in May via Twitter of his home run and bat flip for the Legends during an exhibition against the Florence Y'alls.
The three-time All-Star and four-time Gold Glove winner at second base made his debut for the Legends last August, and Phillips remained with the team throughout the rest of the Battle of the Bourbon Trail - a series involving the Legends, the Lexington Las Leyendas, the Florence Freedom and the Y'alls.
In 2018, Phillips - despite making just 27 regular-season plate appearances - got his first World Series ring in 17 big-league seasons with the Boston Red Sox defeating the Los Angeles Dodgers in five games.
Phillips hit .279 with 191 home runs, 851 RBIs, 1,774 hits, 311 doubles, 32 triples and 194 stolen bases in his 11 seasons with the Reds before he was dealt to the Braves in 2017. The Reds traded Jeff Stevens to Cleveland for Phillips in April 2006.
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