Hoover cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Louisville on Thursday.

EDGE Analysis

Hoover was designated for assignment after compiling a 4.76 ERA over his last 10 appearances for Triple-A Louisville but did not get picked up by another club during his waiver period and will remain with Cincinnati. He'll head back to Louisville where he'll reassume a 3.71 ERA and 1.28 WHIP over 26.2 innings for the minor league affiliate.

Hoover was optioned to Triple-A Louisville on Wednesday by the Reds.

EDGE Analysis

Though he hasn't yet been designated off the 40-man roster, it's possible that this could be the end of Hoover's tenure with the Reds. It certainly seems as if he's beyond repair, at least by them.

Hoover was crushed by the Cubs in the 15th inning Tuesday, giving up five runs on three hits, including a grand slam homer by Javy Baez.

EDGE Analysis

Hoover's also walked two batters in the loss. His line nearly mirrored his most recent disaster last weekend against the Padres, though at least in that one he managed to get two strikeouts. He has allowed homers in three consecutive outings and has given up a whopping nine homers in 18 appearances for the season.

Hoover was recalled from Triple-A Louisville on Tuesday.

EDGE Analysis

Hoover opened up the season as the Reds' closer but struggled mightily in that capacity, ultimately posting unsightly numbers with a 14.34 ERA and 2.34 WHIP over 10.2 innings before being sent down to the minors. The 28-year-old reported making a mechanical adjustment and was able to get straightened out somewhat in the minors, but he doesn't figure to slot back into a back-of-the-bullpen role immediately upon rejoining the big league club.

Hoover was optioned to Triple-A Louisville on Saturday.

EDGE Analysis

The Reds announced a series of moves Saturday afternoon, and Hoover will head to Triple-A as right-hander Drew Hayes comes up from Louisville to assume his spot on the roster. Hoover struggled mightily in 12 appearances for the Reds, conceding 19 hits and 17 earned runs across just 10.2 innings.

Hoover claims to have made an adjustment during Sunday's side session that could potentially address the issues that the reliever has been having with hard contact, Zach Buchanan of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

EDGE Analysis

Although Hoover failed to note exactly what the adjustment was, Buchanan suggests that he may have been tipping his pitches. If that turns out to be the case, there could be a notable improvement on tap for the former closer that has surrendered 13 earned runs over his first six innings of the season. Pitching to contact has been problematic this year for Hoover, as he enters Sunday with a career-high 28 percent line drive rate. If he can bring that down to his career average of right around 20 percent, it would be a good first step in ultimately earning back ninth-inning duties.

Hoover endured another shellacking by the Cubs on Friday night, giving up four runs while retiring just two batters. He gave up his fourth homer of the year to Javier Baez leading off the inning, and later gave up three consecutive doubles.

EDGE Analysis

At this point, one has to wonder if something is physically wrong with Hoover, beyond merely the gravity of the ninth inning role hanging over him. His ERA climbed to 19.50 after this latest bad outing.

Hoover will not be the sole closer for the Reds after manager Bryan Price decided that the Reds will go with a closer by committee for the time being, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Hoover's hold on the closer role was in question after he gave up nine earned runs in just 5.1 innings of work, and this ends his time as the only closer for the Reds for now. There's a chance that he'll get the ball in the ninth inning if he can put together a couple good outings in the near future, but he'll lose some of those opportunities now to Tony Cingrani, Caleb Cotham, and Blake Wood.

Manager Bryan Price is still thinking over what he plans to do with the closer role going forward, but Hoover will be unavailable for Wednesday's game after pitching in back-to-back games to start the week, WCPO.com's John Fay reports.

EDGE Analysis

All signs point to Hoover being finished, or close to finished as the Reds' closer, as he has allowed runs in four of his eight appearances this year. He has also allowed three home runs, while walking four and striking out four in 5.1 innings, so disaster has seemingly been around every corner. Tony Cingrani and Caleb Cotham figure to be the top options if Price decides to make a change, but Cingrani is the only lefty in the bullpen, and has also allowed five walks in 5.2 innings, while Cotham has just 17.2 MLB innings on his resume, so there are no ideal options for the ninth inning right now in Cincinnati.

Manager Bryan Price said after Tuesday's win against the Rockies that he would sleep on the decision about whether to remain with Hoover as the team's closer, the Cincinnati Enquirer's C. Trent Rosecrans reports.

EDGE Analysis

Hoover is on very thin ice at the moment, after allowing a two-run homer before getting the final two outs of Tuesday's win against the Rockies. Tony Cingrani leads the Reds with four holds, and would figure to be the likely replacement if Price decides to switch things up. However, Cingrani has also walked five in 5.2 innings. Caleb Cotham could be a dark horse candidate, as he is second on the team with three holds and has not allowed a run in eight innings.