Phillies Notes: Blanton unlikely to return this year

An ultrasound on Joe Blanton's right elbow revealed inflammation in the ulnar nerve, Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said Tuesday.

The righthander will undergo more examinations Wednesday to determine the extent of the damage.

Amaro said it's unlikely that Blanton will return this season.

"If he comes back, maybe he comes back in the bullpen," Amaro said. "I don't know. We'll see. I don't know if we can get him stretched out enough at this stage of the game to get him back in the rotation."

Blanton, 30, is owed $8.5 million next season, the final year of a three-year, $24 million contract.

He was an undersize 18-year-old kid taking batting practice with a bunch of major-leaguers, but Roman Quinn's smile was permanent Tuesday. His father donned a red Phillies cap and watched with team officials as Quinn pretended to be a pro.

Amaro passed through the dugout, saw his second-round pick dressed as a Phillie, and laughed.

"It looks good on you, doesn't it?" Amaro said.

This was a showcase day because Quinn is not yet a member of the Phillies. The team rolled out the red carpet with hopes of making a final push toward a contract. Both of the team's top-two selections from the June draft - Larry Greene and Quinn - remain unsigned. The deadline for agreements is Aug. 15.

The Phillies are confident both will sign.

"We're hopeful we can come to an agreement with both players, and expect to do so," Phillies assistant general manager Benny Looper said. "Sometimes it takes longer than others."

Greene, an outfielder from Berrien High School in Nashville, Ga., has committed to a junior college - Chipola in Florida. He was taken with the 39th overall pick - a selection the Phillies received for losing Jayson Werth to free agency last winter.

"We think he wants to play," Looper said. "We're hopeful. We think we have a good chance to sign him."

The 66th overall pick was also compensation for Werth, and that's when Quinn was selected. Quinn attended Port St. Joe High School in Florida and has committed to Florida State.

Both picks were scouted by Aaron Jersild, an amateur area scout in his first year with the Phillies after spending seven seasons in the Toronto organization.

Quinn stands 5-foot-9 at best. He played mostly center field and batted righthanded as a high school senior, but the Phillies plan for him to be a switch-hitting shortstop.

As expected, Placido Polanco (bulging disk in back) was cleared to begin a minor-league rehabilitation assignment Thursday at triple-A Lehigh Valley. Amaro said Polanco would require "at least a couple" of games with the IronPigs. The third baseman has said he wants to be on the team charter flight for a 10-game West Coast trip that begins Monday.

When Polanco returns, it could spell the end of Wilson Valdez's time with the team. The recent emergence of Michael Martinez had given Valdez only 22 at-bats this month entering Tuesday.

nolead begins

Jose Contreras (elbow) received a platelet-rich-plasma injection Tuesday to relieve pain. Amaro said there is no timetable for his return. "He's going to hold off [on throwing]," Amaro said. "There is some pretty significant soreness just from the injection itself." . . . Chase Utley singled in the first inning to extend his streak of reaching base to 28 consecutive games.