Setback for Gutierrez plus another Seager on his way
Apr 27, 2012, 5:23 PM
By Shannon Drayer
We received a rather unpleasant surprise in our daily pre game talk with Eric Wedge. When he was asked about the progress with Franklin Gutierrez in his recovery from the torn pectoral muscle Wedge’s tone took a sharp turn from the optimism he had been expressing previously.
“His arm is fine, he has got a heel issue he has been working on,” he said grimly. “The heel has been bothering him a bit and we are trying to navigate through that. Plantar faciitis is what they think it is, they are trying to figure it out. He has orthotics so we are still hoping for the best.”
According to Wedge Gutierrez has been dealing with this for the last three or four days and that the organization was putting him through the usual protocol of seeing the doctor then seeing the specialist. I would assume that is where the “they think it is” part comes in as this is not yet a definitive diagnosis. We should hear more in the coming days, but this has the potential to be very bad news as the condition can linger.
The news on Carp remains unchanged except for the fact that he is rapidly approaching the end of the twenty days that he is permitted to be on a rehab assignment. Carp was sent out on the assignment on April 13 and as such I would expect that we would see him in Seattle when we return.
Elsewhere around the club Kyle Seager is not in the lineup for a third straight day. He is completely healthy but Wedge said he could use the extra days days to work on his swing which had gotten a bit long. Tough to see him sit for whatever reason.
I caught up with Kyle at his locker before the game and he said he is making the most of his time away from the field. We chatted briefly about his younger brother Corey who is projected to a be a first round pick in the upcoming draft. Corey is an infielder like Kyle who plays mainly shortstop. Kyle says the similarities end there as younger brother towers over him at 6’3 and 200 pounds.
“It’s pretty exciting,” Kyle said of his younger brother’s success. “He had senior night last night and hit two home runs.”
Kyle has helped Corey by telling him what to expect in the lower levels of the minors. He also has shared his college experiences with his brother who has committed to South Carolina.
“He liked North Carolina but wasn’t sure he wanted to follow in my footsteps,” said Kyle who played on three College World Series teams at UNC.
Could Corey end up with the Mariners? You never know.
