Phillies 2B Chase Utley Takes Next Step In Rehab From Knee Injury
Chase Utley, injured All Star 2nd Baseman for the Philadelphia Phillies, saw his first action of the season today, albeit in extended spring training in Florida. And well... he looked like Chase Utley.
Utley has been sidelined since the season began with patellar tendinitis in his right knee. There hadn't really been any good news, and hardly any news at all on Utley until he finally started running a couple of weeks ago. Since then, Utley has taken huge steps in his rehab. Those steps forward led the Philadelphia Phillies to send him to Clearwater to participate in extended spring training. Utley had been taking part in simulated games for the past week.
In his first action, Utley played the field in alternating innings, while batting in every inning. Rules in extended spring training are pretty loose, which is why the Phillies opted to send him there rather than to the minor leagues. In EST, the Phillies can better control what Utley does and doesn't do.
Utley went 5-for-7 with 2 Home Runs and three singles. Utley even beat out an infield single during the game. More importantly, he was able to run the bases and field with little sign of his injury.
From here, Utley's progress will depend largely on how his knee responds to the activity of playing baseball. For now, the five-time All Star was just happy to be playing on a field again. "It felt pretty good just to get back out between the lines." Utley said after the game. "We'll see how it responds tomorrow and go from there."
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