An autopsy has confirmed that Luis Guevara, a 19-year-old minor league player for the Orioles, died from head and neck injuries sustained in a personal watercraft accident in June.
The report found no evidence of drug or alcohol use, aside from metronidazole, an antibiotic used to treat bacterial infections, as noted by the Mayo Clinic. These findings align with earlier reports from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, which is leading the investigation, and match the account provided by a witness.
The accident occurred around 8 p.m. on June 15 near Lido Key in Sarasota, Florida, when a Jet Ski carrying Orioles prospects Miguel Rodríguez, 19, and Jesús Palacios, 20, collided with a stationary watercraft carrying Guevara and Keiver Jose Guillen Reatiga.
According to the incident report and witness statements, the scene became chaotic after Guevara, severely injured, was pulled from the water. Both he and Reatiga were transported to a hospital.
The autopsy conducted by the District 12 Medical Examiner’s Office in Florida revealed that Luis Guevara suffered head trauma, spinal fractures, and a spinal cord contusion.
At the time of the accident, Guevara was playing for the Orioles’ Florida Complex League team, though he had recently been promoted to Double-A Chesapeake just two weeks before his passing. His former manager, Christian Frias, who received the Cal Ripken Sr. Player Development Award this year, paid tribute by wearing Guevara’s initials on his hat during the ceremony.
“We had the support of the entire organization,” Frias said. “It was a collective effort. The players never gave up. They played for him, determined to honor his memory and ensure his name lived on.”
Andy Kostka covers the Orioles as a beat writer for The Baltimore Banner. Prior to that, he reported on the team for The Baltimore Sun. A University of Maryland graduate, Kostka is originally from Rockville.
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