Franklin Gutierrez has told the Seattle Mariners that he will not be able to play this season because of his recurring stomach problems, which have been termed gastrointestinal issues.
Gutierrez, who signed with the Mariners in December, apparently told the team he didn’t think it would be fair if he came to camp knowing he couldn’t compete for the starting job. Gutz was limited to 41 games last season and 40 the year before because of various health issues.
This turn of events is very disappointing for Gutierrez. Gutz, 30, first came up to the bigs as a 22-year-old in 2005. He showed promise when he hit .266/.318/.472 in 271 at-bats in 2007 with the Cleveland Indians, and then he looked like he was going to develop into one of the better all-around center fielders in the AL when he hit .283/.339/.425 in 2009 for the Mariners.
Gutz was known as one of the best defensive center fielders in the game and won a gold glove in 2010.
Gutierrez has been taken off the Mariners’ 40-man roster and placed on the restricted list. Now I’m really curious about his gastro issues. Does he have diverticulitis? Crohn’s disease? Colitis? This is sad, he was a good player. Hopefully he’ll be able to recover.
I saw this picture on Twitter and sadly think it’s probably true:
R.I.P. Franklin Gutierrez' #Mariners career pic.twitter.com/I6nBv6PZbK
— Jermaine Kush (@Seattle_Creamer) February 13, 2014
