Phillies' Chase Utley looks sharp in rehab game

TRENTON - Chase Utley looks ready to return to a big-league lineup.

Utley, playing in his third rehab game in four days, went 3-for-4 with an RBI double and a walk in Double A Reading's 11-1 win over the Trenton Thunder last night.

Utley could return to the Phillies' lineup as soon as this afternoon, or perhaps more likely, when they begin a 10-day West Coast road trip tomorrow night in San Diego. The Phils could choose to give the 36-year-old a day of rest rather than putting him on the field in a day game today against the Dodgers after a night game.

"I'll consult with the Phillies [today]," said Utley, who was placed on the disabled list with right ankle inflammation on June 23. "I'll go to the stadium in the morning and see what happens. Nothing is set in stone. We'll talk about it and make a plan from there."

Utley played all nine innings of the game at second base. He has played in back-to-back games with Reading after beginning a rehab assignment on Sunday with Triple A Lehigh Valley.

"I got plenty of at-bats, plenty of action in the field," Utley said. "I felt like I was running on the bases a lot. I had my fair share of action in a couple of games. So far, so good."

Two of the Phillies' rising prospects with Reading upstaged Utley at ARM & HAMMER Park.

Nick Williams and Andrew Knapp each homered twice. Williams, the outfielder acquired Friday in the eight-player Cole Hamels trade, hit a no-doubt-about-it, blistering blast off Trenton's Eric Ruth in the fourth inning and then hit a second over the video board in right-center two innings later. He finished the night 4-for-4 with three RBI and five runs scored.

Knapp, a catcher out of Cal-Berkeley chosen with the Phillies' second-round pick in 2013, homered from both sides of the plate. He is hitting .373 in 30 games since being promoted from Class A Clearwater in late June.

"The last couple of nights, the guys have shown that they can definitely swing the bats, power to all fields," Utley said of his Reading teammates. "I thought they ran the bases extremely well, they ran hard. Those are all signs of good players."

Utley originally suffered his ankle injury while fielding ground balls during offseason workouts in January. He was limited during spring training but looked healthy and productive in the final week of Grapefruit League games.

But then the season began and he never found his stroke. Utley was hitting .179 with a .532 OPS through 65 games when he was placed on the DL.

Perhaps not having the full power of his front foot affected his swing, though - something even Utley, never one to make excuses, has alluded to in the last month.

Utley began taking part in regular pregame work - hitting, running and fielding - 3 1/2 weeks ago when the Phillies were in San Francisco before the All-Star break. During his three minor-league rehab games this week, Utley has gone 6-for-11 with a double and two walks.

He handled himself adequately in the field last night, too. And he appeared to have no limitations running the bases.

General manager Ruben Amaro Jr. was among those watching. Also at Trenton were a few scouts, including two from the Los Angeles Angels and Washington Nationals.

If Utley returns and can produce offensively, he's a candidate to move in a waiver trade before the end of the month. Utley is likely to be a free agent after the season.

Blog: ph.ly/HighCheese