As you may or may not have noticed, Phillies 2B Chase Utley has been out all year with patellar tendinitis. No, it’s true.
And while details of his injury have been sketchy to say the least, it looks like the Phils might finally be getting some decent news on their second baseman. Sources tell CSNPhilly.com that “barring a setback or change of plans,” Utley will head to the team’s spring training complex down in Clearwater on Friday to begin working out.
Utley is supposed to start playing in extended spring-training games before they start to gradually work him into Florida State League games. Obviously, they’ll move cautiously to see how his knee reacts to more and more work.
The last few days, Utley has played in some simulated games at Citizens Bank Park and all seemed to go okay.
“He’s come out of those pretty well,” GM Ruben Amaro Jr. said Thursday.
While the team has been careful not to put a deadline on his return to the team, it seems like the end of this month is the goal.
Take your time, the last thing this team wants to see is Utley have a setback and him end up missing the whole year.
Good News, let him get some action and continue to re-hab at CLearwater COmplex and could even play some games down in the Rookie League there to work out the kinks and to get his timing done.. With the good start the Phils have had, no sense of rushing him back at all.. I am think a return in June..