Former Philadelphia Phillies Standout Reliever Claimed by Detroit Tigers

A recently departed Philadelphia Phillies reliever is headed to a World Series contender.

Apr 13, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Carlos Hernandez pitches in relief against the St. Louis Cardinals in the eighth inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Vizer-Imagn Images | Tim Vizer-Imagn Images

The Philadelphia Phillies are seeing one of their former players land with a potential American League contender.

According to announcements from both teams, recently DFA veteran right-hander Carlos Hernandez has been claimed off waivers by the Detroit Tigers following what was a rough season for him.

Acquired off waivers by the Phillies right before the season began after a five-year stint with the Kansas City Royals, Hernandez just could not getting it going in a very thin Philadelphia bullpen.

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In 25 appearances, he posted a 5.26 ERA and 1.753 WHIP with 23 strikeouts and 13 walks in 25.2 innings pitched, throwing the ball with high velocity but struggling with contact despite putting it in the strike zone consistently.

Hernandez was designated for assignment last week in favor of Michael Mercado from Triple-A, and Mercado tossed a scoreless inning in his lone appearance so far.

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It's unfortunate things did not work out for Hernandez as hopes were high after he was claimed, but with the bullpen simply not getting the job done as a whole, a shakeup was in the cards.

Fans in Philadelphia will certainly be paying close attention over the next several weeks to see if letting Hernandez go in favor of Mercado was the right move.

Hernandez is likely to contribute right away for Detroit as they have experienced depth issues in the bullpen as well.

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