Mariners recall Franklin Gutierrez, batting 2nd tonight

Franklin Gutierrez lives, he dies. He lives again. Look at him, all shiny and chrome:

#Mariners call up OF Franklin Gutierrez from Triple-A Tacoma; option OF James Jones back to Rainiers.

— Bob Dutton (@TNT_Mariners) June 24, 2015

For those of you who demand instant gratification, which is to say all of us:

Gutierrez is in the lineup tonight; bating second and playing left field. It is his first big-league game since Sept. 27, 2013.

— Bob Dutton (@TNT_Mariners) June 24, 2015

James Jones was sent back down to Tacoma.

The important things: Franklin Gutierrez will not play every day. Franklin Gutierrez cannot play every day. He struggles with health issues that can sideline him on any given day. What Franklin Gutierrez can do is hit, as his .317/.402/.500 in Tacoma can attest. He can play a decent, maybe league average left field. I assume he's up to take on the Justin Ruggiano role of platoon partner, late-inning defensive replacement person.

I.......we........have feelings for Guti. Special feelings. I won't expound on them greatly here. He is as snakebitten as any player I can remember this side of Doyle. He is a connection to the past, 2009, and a time when Jack Z was a hotshot up and comer. He's a connection to Dave Neihaus.

I can hear him yet.

This move makes sense on a baseball way as long as Franklin can play. It makes me happy in many more ways than that.