Cleveland Guardians sign talented right-handed pitcher to minor league deal

The Cleveland Guardians have re-signed right-handed pitcher Carlos Hernandez to a minor league contract.

The Guardians were the third team that Hernandez joined last season, with the Detroit Tigers and Philadelphia Phillies being the other two. Across the entire campaign, he tossed 43.2 innings for an ERA of 6.23 in major league ball and struck out 39 batters. In minor league ball, he pitched for the Columbus Clippers, throwing a 4.70 ERA across 7.2 innings en route to striking out nine batters.

Hernandez has the tools to be a successful and confident pitcher for a major league side. He's shown a strong tendency to strike out batters and place pitches in various nooks and cranny's of the strike zone.

He also has speed with a four-seam velocity of 97.7 mph, keeping those at the plate on their toes.

The Guardians and RHP Carlos Hernandez have agreed to a minor league deal, sources tell @JustBB_Media

Hernandez, 28, spent last season with the Phillies, Tigers and Guardians, pitching to a 6.23 ERA in 43.1 IP. He has a 5.44 career ERA in 299.2 IP.
— Aram Leighton (@AramLeighton8) November 6, 2025

The only concern with Hernandez is that his reliability out of the bullpen has been iffy.

Four of his five appearances with Cleveland in 2025 came when the team was down in the ninth inning. That's a tough spot for any reliever to be in. Each game ended in a loss

He throws incredibly hard, but that sometimes leads to balls being hung right in the zone to be easily teed up, allowing a batting average of .315 on his fastball. If he can work on placement consistency, there's a real chance he becomes a dangerous heat-throwing reliever next season.

He also has a pretty interesting splitter that's fooled many batters. His batting average against with that pitch comes in below .200 at a mark at .176.

Across 299.2 innings pitched in his career, he has an average posted ERA of 5.44 with an average of eight strikeouts per nine innings in the majors for a total of 265. His WHIP also comes in at 1.478.

2026 is looking to be a bounce-back campaign for Hernandez, especially with a strong pitching staff in Cleveland and Columbus that can develop the 28-year-old. While he is not on the 40-man roster, the Guardians' track record with injuries and hiccups in the bullpen might open up a spot for him at some point.

For now, the Guardians will continue looking to bolster their major and minor league rosters ahead of the upcoming campaign. After releasing five players to free agency and declining another option, the front office may be preparing to shell out in free agency.

Cleveland finished 88-74 in 2025 and finished first place in the American League Central, but clearly need to make a few upgrades to the bullpen and outfield to really round the roster out.