Utley encouraged by progress
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Utley encouraged by progress
Bob Brookover
ST. LOUIS -- Chase Utley said he sees progress as he continues his quest to return from the knee soreness that has delayed the start of his season for the second straight year.
"Every day, it seems like it's getting a little bit better," the Phillies second baseman said Sunday morning before the Phillies' series finale with the St. Louis Cardinals. "The last couple of days I've pushed it and increased the intensity a little bit and they have responded well, so that's a good sign in my eyes."
After taking only 10 or so groundballs before Thursday's series opener with the Cardinals, Utley handled 25 grounders Friday and around that same number Saturday. The Phillies did not take batting practice before Sunday's game, so Utley was not in the field either.
Utley said the number of ground balls he handles is not as important as the intensity with which he goes after them. He has also spent batting practice tracking balls off hitter's bats when he is not fielding fungos from the coaching staff.
"Just to get that feel back," he said. "I'm moving a little bit quicker, a little bit harder and a little bit more."
A year ago before Utley began his rehab at single-A Clearwater, he could often be seen running hard around the bases. We have not seen that yet, but he said he uses time in the outfield to run and test his knees.
"As far as running around, shagging balls in the outfield, I kind of use that time for agility," Utley said.
Players, of course, have changed positions in the past in order to remove stress from their knees. The most notable player in Phillies history to move to the outfield for that reason was Darren Daulton in 1997.
That's not a move Utley appears to be currently considering.
"I haven't thought about it too much," he said. "All I know is my knees the last week or so have felt better than they have in a while, which is kind of what we've been working toward."
Still, there is no timetable for his return. Asked about the next step, Utley repeated that he was simply encouraged by the progress he has made in the last week. He also said he would remain with the big-league team at least through the three-game series against the New York Mets that begins Monday at Citi Field.
In the meantime, Freddy Galvis remains the second baseman and even Utley is impressed what he has seen from the 22-year-old kid.
"Freddy has done a great job, an outstanding job, better than anyone could have anticipated," Utley said. "Defensively, he's surehanded and he also has a knack for knowing where to play and being in the right positions. He has a good feel for the game and, for being his age, you don't see that too often."
Utley said he was particularly impressed with the game-saving relay throw Galvis made Friday to nail Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina at home plate.
"He didn't really panic, no rushing, it was just another relay throw (to him)," Utley said.
Worley feeling good
Righthander Vance Worley (elbow inflammation) was eligible to come off the disabled list Sunday, but he did not. He said he continues to feel good, but he does not know what his schedule is for this week. It's possible he'll throw a bullpen during the three-game series at Citi Field.
"I'm feeling good and hopefully it stays that way for a while," Worley said.
I'm a Phillies fan first so I'll be glad when either Utley comes back to be a solid, reliable player or if someone else takes over and does the job for about $10 million a year less. As of now, it looks like it'll be time to turn the page after the end of next season.— AvoidSundanceVacations- Good, Utley can come back and we can trade Chad Qualls and J-Pop. I have never seen such a lousy leadoff guy batting 220 as J-Pop. Time to end this relationship.— Bruno Sammartino
- Put him at 1B- build some stats & move him at the deadline to the AL- time for the brass to start making decisions w/whatever intellect they possess as opposed to sentimentalism.— Northcountry
- It looks like people are finally starting to wake up to the fantasy of Utley ever being a regular again. He has been off since October and still can't run the bases or take more than a few ground balls yet everyone talks about the return of Howard and Utley as a mid-season upgrade. Does anyone really think his degenerative knees would hold up on a daily basis for the rest of the summer even if he does make it back? Get real. His days an an everyday player are over. This is not an injury that heals like Howard's achilles. It's degenerative. It only gets worse.— Sewellmatt
- Chase should be ready by September 15th. Phils will only be about 25 games back at that point. Let's face it. Rube The Boob has absolutely no clue when to unload aging has beens. Instead he signs them to huge contracts. Can we all say Howard and Rollins. Now it's Halladay. get rid of The Boob and rebuild.— baabyrrej
- Halladay? Really? You just lost all credibility. You should lose posting privileges too. — Penfold18
- I hate defending Amaro because I think he's the worst, but he didn't sign Utley. Utley's deal was from 2007-2013 @ $85 million and all-in-all a good deal for the Phillies. But Utley- or anybody- should be traded when their performance drops off. I suggested trading him after 2009. He had a great World Series and a great rep, but watching him every day you could see he was in sharp decline and you knew he was beaten up. If Washington paid $126 million for Werth, somebody would have given the Phillies a nice package for Utley in 2009-10. Now he is untradeable under any circumstances, as are Howard and Rollins (unless the Phillies paid their contracts, which might be a better use of their money in Rollins' case- pay him to play for another NL team). — jtj06
- I forget who the joker was that said Chase is "hanging on" to make sure he gets his 15 mil a year for this and next year. If you knew the first thing about major league baseball, you would know that all contracts are guaranteed, so he gets his dough whether he plays or not. By trying to come back shows you how intense the man is. How many do you know that would go through all this to play through a degenerative condition, jerkoff? ChaseUtleyYouAreTheMan.— cuyatm
- No, the "hanging on" is entirely correct. If Utley retires, he no longer gets his salary. — fmMD
- You are the joke. If Utley retired, he would not get paid for the remaining years of his contract. He absolutely has to pretend to be coming back to get the whole ball of wax. If he wanted to retire, he certainly would be able to negotiate with the Phillies on a settlement(maybe half the money due to him at retirement) and they would listen if it meant saving 7 million but he can't officially retire and collect the money. — UncleStosh
- Utley is like bread stuck in the oven: Toast.— fmMD
- Honestly, these stories are getting old. Just tell me when he's ready to play. Same with Howard.— Penfold18
- What is he really going to do when he comes back? .260 5-7 HRs. Will that take us to the World Series?— Phillip Phan
- How many times have we read this same article? Utley is pleased with his progress and has no idea when - or if - he'll be ready. And what was the name of that other guy? Big guy, used to play first base.— Edward L Norton
- It's a pipedream to believe that Utley and Howard will come back and somehow save the season. Chase is one tough competitor and you always want that type of player; however, as tough as he is, he can't overcome human physiology, his knee injury can only get worse. Time to decide that he's unable to perform and the Phils collect the insurance on his contract and move on. As of now, this season is very much in doubt. Don't hold much hope for the Big Guy either. And now, if Halladay is lost for a sizeable amount of time; then, we rebuild for next year. Although, there is the outside chance of a wild card spot. Sometimes a team can piece it together, but not with an underperforming SS who insists on popping up at critical times in a game.— mad2002mad
