Former Indians INF Luis Valbuena One of Two Former MLB Players Killed in Car Crash in Venezuela

One-time Indians infiedler Luis Valbuena along with former journeyman infielder Jose Castillo were killed in a car accident Thursday in Venezuela.

“We are saddened by the tragic news that Luis Valbuena and former major leaguer Jose Castillo have died in a car accident,” Major League Baseball said in a tweet.

Valbuena came to the Indians in 2009, and played three seasons with the club before leaving to join the Chicago Cubs in 2012. He recorded a .226 batting average with 114 home runs and 367 RBI during his career.

His most active season with the Indians came in 09, when he appeared in 103 games, hitting .250 with 10 homers and 31 runs batted in. He came to the Tribe in a three-team, 11-player trade between the Indians, Mariners and Mets back in 2008.

The 33-year-old Valbuena and 37-year-old Castillo were playing in a Venezuelan winter baseball league and were teammates on the Cardenales de Lara, according to the Athletic.

The pair were in a car when their vehicle hit a rock and veered off the road, the Orange County Register reported. Former Arizona Diamondbacks infielder Carlos Rivero was driving the car and survived the accident.