With the Los Angeles Dodgers facing Chicago Cubs left-hander Jon Lester in Monday’s three-game series opener, manager Dave Roberts went with right-handed batters in applicable platoons. Among them was starting Franklin Gutierrez in left field.
He hit cleanup and was the Dodgers’ first baserunner of the night, working a leadoff walk in the second inning. However, Gutierrez’s time on the bases and in the game was short lived.
He was thrown out attempting to steal second base, and was subsequently removed in the bottom half of the second. Gutierrez appeared to point to his hamstring while making his way to the clubhouse.
Buster Olney relayed during the ESPN broadcast that the Dodgers announced Gutierrez was being evaluated for a left-hamstring injury. Scott Van Slyke took over in left field.
The Dodgers signed Gutierrez to a one-year contract during the offseason as a means to improve against southpaws. He entered Monday’s matchup batting .231/.231/.385 with two doubles in five games.
Should Gutierrez require a stint on the disabled list, the Dodgers presumably will recall Trayce Thompson from Triple-A Oklahoma City. Thompson has said he’s fully recovered from multiple fractured vertebrae that ended his 2016 season prematurely.
Gutierrez has struggled to remain in the lineup since 2010, including missing the entire 2014 season after being diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis.
