Guardians spring training invitee pulled from wreckage of terrifying car accident

At the start of November, the Cleveland Guardians started their offseason bullpen revamp by signing reliever Carlos Hernández to a minor league deal after he pitched sparingly for Cleveland in 2025. 

His chances of helping the Guardians in 2026 seemingly took a hit on Sunday after he was injured in a car accident in Venezuela that resulted in him suffering a fracture in his left arm and his right leg, per Cleveland.com’s Joe Noga. 

Hernández, 28, is a native of Venezuela and is currently pitching for the Leones del Caracas in the Venezuelan winter league.

Guardians pitcher Carlos Hernández suffers serious injuries in car crash in Venezuela

While Hernández isn’t in the fold on a big league deal, his deal included an invite to big league spring training and he had enough potential to at least earn a genuine look at a back-end bullpen spot if one was available. 

His time on the roster came at the worst possible time as well, as the Guardians acquired him on waivers a day after Emmanuel Clase was placed on paid leave due to his sports betting investigation. 

Even though he wasn’t able to fill Clase’s shoes (who can?), he provided adequate production while the Guardians navigated unprecedented times. 

Even though he only threw 7 2/3 innings at Triple-A after he was outrighted off the Guardians’ roster in August, he has a great fastball (97.7 miles per hour) and ranked in the 88th percentile in extension, which is one of the biggest intangibles the Guardians are prioritizing in relievers. 

The Guardians released him after the season before he re-signed with the Guardians on that aforementioned minor league deal. He posted a 10.01 ERA in 14 2/3 innings for Leones del Caracas this winter before getting hurt.  

But all that will likely go on the back burner after his injury, which will likely impact his availability for the spring.  

Guardians officials were unable to comment on the matter Sunday afternoon, citing privacy concerns and potential HIPAA restrictions, per Noga. 

While Hernández seemed to have a shot at one of those aforementioned bullpen spots, he has plenty of competition, as the Guardians signed Shawn Armstrong, Connor Brogdon and Collin Holderman to big league deals while also bringing in Codi Heuer and Pedro Avila on minor league deals and picking Peyton Pallette in the Rule 5 Draft. 

But that’s the least of Hernández’s concerns right now, and everyone with the Away Back Gone team is hoping for the best for him in what’s clearly a scary situation.