LOS ANGELES -- After attempting to chase down Cubs slugger Kristopher Bryant's broken-bat bloop single in the first inning of Sunday's 9-4 win at Dodger Stadium, Dodgers left fielder Franklin Gutierrez exited the game with an illness.
Gutierrez suffers from an immune-arthritic condition, Ankylosing Spondylitis, which came about in 2011, causing stiff joints and associated debilitating symptoms. Gutierrez sat out 2014 to let the medication, which he still takes, heal his body.
Gutierrez appeared to pull up on Bryant's single as it dropped in the outfield. The ball seemed very catchable, and Statcast™ data backed that up, giving it an 84 percent catch probability.
Yasiel Puig pinch-hit for Gutierrez in the bottom of the inning. Brett Eibner, who started the game in right field, was shifted to left and Puig replaced Eibner in right field. Gutierrez was in the Dodgers' lineup as the cleanup hitter. Puig would finish the day going 2-for-4 and hitting his ninth home run of the season.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said the team monitors Gutierrez's condition day by day and the veteran would have liked to stay in the game.
"To look out for the club and his own health, I just felt that was the best decision," Roberts said. "He was frustrated because he wanted to keep going, but that was a decision I had to make."