When the Los Angeles Dodgers placed Franklin Gutierrez on the 10-day disabled list the veteran outfielder called his hamstring injury minor, and manager Dave Roberts surmised Gutierrez would not miss more than weeks.
Gutierrez was sent to Camelback Ranch to log at-bats, a rehab assignment was expected to follow, and he would then be activated prior to Tuesday’s game against the San Francisco Giants. However, Gutierrez’s path to being reinstated hit a snag.
According to Ken Gurnick of MLB.com, Gutierrez was hit by a pitch on his elbow and will require more time at Dodgers’ Spring Training facility:
Gutierez took a pitch off elbow at Camelback Ranch, setback the rehab timetable a few days. Roberts said expected back by end of the week.
— Ken Gurnick (@kengurnick) April 23, 2017
Gutierrez was eligible to come off the DL Friday. In six games this season he’s 3-for-13 (.231 batting average) with two doubles and one walk. Twelve of Gutierrez’s 13 at-bats and all three of hits have come against left-handed pitching.
Los Angeles is slated to face a left-handers Ty Blach (Tuesday) and Matt Moore (Thursday) in their upcoming series at AT&T Park. Gutierrez was signed to a one-year contract during the offseason, with an eye on improving the Dodgers’ porous offensive production against southpaws.
Without Gutierrez, the Dodgers have shuffled Trayce Thompson and Brett Eibner to and from Triple-A Oklahoma City. The duo went a combined 1-for-13 with four strikeouts while with the Dodgers.
