Guardians reliever’s crazy year comes full circle thanks to September roster expansion

Last August the Cleveland Guardians added Carlos Hernández to their bullpen as a response for Emmanuel Clase being placed on paid leave.

Thirteen months later, Hernández is back with the Guardians’ big league club as a part of the team’s September roster expansion. Guardians Prospective was among the first to announce the move last night, and the team officially confirmed the move this afternoon. 

While Hernández’s promotion is already a huge surprise given the amount of other relievers the Guardians had lurking in Triple-A, it’s even more surprising given he hasn’t had a full season due to an offseason car accident that put him on the injured list for most of the spring. 

But Hernández has worked his way back in the minors so far this year and seems set to play a big role in the Guardians’ bullpen as they look to nail down a postseason spot for the third straight season. 

Carlos Hernández brings some strikeout potential to the Guardians' bullpen

Hernández’s journey with the Guardians started last season as a waiver claim after Clase left the team, and he posted a 3.86 ERA in seven innings before being designated for assignment to make room for Parker Messick. 

He finished the season at Triple-A, and reunited with the Guardians on a minor league contract in November. But any chance for him to build on that contract went belly up in January when he was injured in a car crash in his native Venezuela. 

Hernández returned to the diamond earlier in July with four scoreless appearances in the Arizona Complex League, and has since appeared in 12 games (13 1/3 innings) with Triple-A Columbus. He’s allowed eight runs over those 13 1/3 innings, but has struck out 35% of the batters he’s faced. 

That massive swing-and-miss potential is likely what stood out to the Guardians, especially since he’s essentially a bonus reliever. There may be a game or two where Stephen Vogt is forced to use him in a high-leverage role, but look for most of his outings to come in low-leverage. 

Although Hernández wasn’t on the Guardians’ 40-man roster, they’ve had an open spot since they designated Gabriel Arias for assignment, so Hernández is a bit like found money. 

If he pitches well then the Guardians can hold onto him in the offseason and take advantage of his multiple years of team control. But if he struggles then they can demote him (or cut him loose) and call up another bullpen option. 

On the position player side, the Guardians recalled Daniel Schneemann to fill a utility role on the bench. He may not have the power of Kyle Manzardo or the intrigue of Khalil Watson, but he’s clearly the best option to fill that role. 

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