The Detroit Tigers' outlook is fairly promising as August winds down. Manager A.J. Hinch's club is currently the No. 1 team in the American League with a 76-53 record, which also places them 10 games ahead of the rival Kansas City Royals for the AL Central lead. Continuing this success into September will give the Tigers a great shot at challenging for the 2025 World Series title.
The MLB season is long, though, and no one would blame Detroit fans if they wanted a small distraction from the current happenings. That's why Tigers lovers have taken occasional breaks to check in on the club's former players this season, and the latest news involves a failed reliever who was just sent packing by his latest team.
Guardians Designate Carlos Hernández For Assignment https://t.co/5BBXPfYeFK pic.twitter.com/3DT0xO7zIj
— MLB Trade Rumors (@mlbtraderumors) August 20, 2025
Former Tigers RHP Carlos Hernandez DFA'd by Guardians on Wednesday
MLB Trade Rumors' Darragh McDonald is reporting that the Cleveland Guardians designated former Tigers reliever Carlos Hernandez for assignment on Wednesday. It's the third time that the veteran right-handed hurler has been DFA'd this season.
Tigers fans are more than familiar with Hernandez after his forgettable stint with the club earlier this summer. Detroit claimed the 28-year-old RHP off waivers on June 16 following his being DFA'd by the Philadelphia Phillies after pitching to a 5.26 ERA and 1.753 WHIP across 25 relief appearances. The hope was that he could rediscover his former self with a fresh start in the Motor City.
But just as things seemingly couldn't get worse, they did. Hernandez's numbers skyrocketed in the wrong direction after joining the Tigers, as he allowed 12 earned runs on 14 hits with six walks across 10 2/3 innings — good for a 10.13 ERA. Obviously, Detroit's front office had seen enough by that point and designated him for assignment on July 24.
Hernandez was claimed by the Guardians a week later and didn't look half bad with the Tigers' AL Central rival, tallying a 3.86 ERA in five appearances. Only recording three strikeouts in seven innings worked against him, though, making him an easy DFA candidate as Cleveland promotes left-handed pitching prospect Parker Messick to its MLB roster.
For now, Hernandez will spend some time on waivers to see if another team claims him. If not, the former Tigers reliever will have the option to elect free agency, making it interesting to see if he'll find a fourth MLB club to play for this season.