Franklin Gutierrez to Sit Out The Season

In December, outfielder Franklin Gutierrez signed a one-year, $1-million contract with the Seattle Mariners after believing that his health issues that had cost him to miss most of the last three seasons were behind him. Unfortunately, that didn’t turn out to be the case as Gutierrez is expected to miss the entire 2014 season due to the same health problems that has plagued him the last few years.

Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times is reporting that Gutierrez suffered a “relapse of the gastrointestinal issues” which will force him to miss the year. He mention that the Venezuelan native called the Mariners to inform them of his decision a few days ago.

“Gutierrez didn’t feel it was fair to the Mariners to come to spring training in his condition and has decided to focus on his health,” Divish said in a Tweet on Thursday.

It’s yet another unfortuante event for a player that looked to have such a promising career in the big leagues. As someone who also suffers from severe gastrointestinal issues, I know how much of a negative impact the problems can have on one’s life. It is something that changes around and entire lifestyle, and I hope that Gutierrez can regain control of his life sooner rather than later.