According to Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times, Franklin Gutierrez could play in a few minor league games before the end of the week. The Gold Glover is currently on the disabled list with a stomach issue that dates back to last season.
The Mariners are still awaiting the results of one final test before Gutierrez will be cleared for game activity, but he has regained some weight and kept up with baseball-related exercises in recent days.
While Gutierrez is making progress, Mariners manager Eric Wedge said that he won’t play more than a few innings at a time in the minor league games, at least initially.
For what it’s worth, Baker speculates that his return is still at least a couple weeks away. The Mariners will continue to use Ryan Langerhans and Michael Saunders in center field for the time being.