Franklin Gutierrez injured his pectoral muscle early on in Spring Training, leaving the Seattle Mariners with a gap to be filled in center field for the time being. While Chone Figgins filled in at the position at drills the day after Gutierrez went down with the injury, the M's will have to figure out how they will fill the void until their starter returns. Gutierrez will be out at least a month, which means he will miss the Seattle season opener against the Oakland Athletics in Japan on March 28.

Larry Larue at The Olympian reports that the most likely -- and realistic -- option for the team is to finish out the spring and begin the season with a "loose" rotation of Figgins, Michael Saunders and Casper Wells. Larue points out that Gutierrez' defensive skills will be impossible to replace, but the M's will have to do the best they can for the time being.

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