From MLB.com’s Greg Johns comes word that Mariners center fielder Franklin Gutierrez ran the bases for a second time Wednesday in Seattle and is set to begin playing in minor league rehab games on either Thursday or Friday of this week.
Gutierrez has been on the 15-day disabled list since April 23 due to a strained right hamstring. He also spent some time on the shelf earlier this season because of groin tightness. If all goes well in his rehab games, the injury-prone 30-year-old should be back on Seattle’s active roster by early next week.
Gutierrez was batting .259/.286/.537 with four home runs and 10 RBI in 57 plate appearances before suffering the hamstring strain. He’s a .256/.308/.388 career hitter in the major leagues.