Franklin Gutierrez’s tough year most likely comes to a tough end

It was a tough thing to watch as Gutierrez grabbed for his side after a swing late in Sunday’s loss to the A’s. There was little question that he had just suffered a severe injury and Eric Wedge confirmed it after the game.

“It’s a severe oblique strain,” Wedge said. “It’s not good. Pretty good chance that he is done for the year.”

Gutierrez was coming off a strong month where he hit .280 in his last 26 games. A marked improvement from the .191 he carried into the month. Wedge had hoped to see him continue this through September.

“We talked about a couple of guys we really wanted to get going and Guti has been doing it,” he said. “The last month or so he’s been swinging the bat much better. If he is done, that is something he he has to take with him this winter and draw from next spring.”

Was it enough to open the eyes of his skipper? Wedge said he was encouraged by what he has seen of late.

“I am, I am. It’s been a very tough go for him really back to last year. You know he fought through it, got back on the field, was playing every day for us, starting to be productive. We put him up in that two hole hoping he would respond to it and he has handled it well. It is what it is.”

I think Gutierrez has shown more toughness than perhaps what Wedge had been anticipating coming into the season. Wedge had Gutierrez in Cleveland and from day one in Peoria, said that he would be giving him days off here and there to give him a break from time to time. This is purely my speculation, but I suspect that Gutierrez was not 100 percent until recently. The stomach problems are being managed, but he lost an entire spring training and the work he did in the off season. The loss of conditioning may have been as difficult to overcome as the stomach problems. Again, this is just my speculation, but what I can say is that Wedge was very impressed that Gutierrez asked to play both of the games of the double header in Cleveland and with some pretty tough at bats of late. I think he showed something to Wedge this season.

As for who takes over in center, Wedge said that they have options and pointed to Trayvon Robinson and Casper Wells, who is day-to-day with the elbow bruise, specifically. Regardless, I am sure we will see help arrive from Tacoma on Monday. While those guys will likely have more of an opportunity to get on the field than they did before Sunday, the guys here already most likely will continue to get the bulk of playing time.