Former Cub Luis Valbuena killed in Venezuela Car Crash

CHICAGO — A car crash claimed the lives of former Major League Baseball infielders Luis Valbuena and José Castillo Thursday in Venezuela. Both men were playing for the Lara Cardinals in the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League.

The men were traveling from Caracas, where they had just won a game, back to the team's home base in Barquisimeto. According to multiple reports, the accident was caused by a rock on the highway.

Valbuena played for three seasons with the Cubs from 2012 to 2014. He played in 347 Cubs' games, hitting 32 home runs. He also played for the Seattle Mariners, Cleveland Indians, Houston Astros and Los Angeles Angels.

In a tweet, the Cubs said,"We are saddened by the passing of former Cub Luis Valbuena. The #Cubs organization sends its condolences to his family and friends."

Valbuena, 33, had been a free agent since the end of his 2018 season with the Los Angeles Angels.

Castillo, 37, played for the Pittsburgh Pirates, San Francisco Giants and the Houston Astros as an infielder from 2004 to 2008.

Two other men in the car, including the driver and Carlos Rivero, who played for the Boston Red Sox, survived the crash.

The Venezuelan Professional Baseball League will suspend Friday games, and players will wear black armbands in remembrance of Castillo and Valbuena.

Top image credit: David Maxwell / Stringer / Getty Images