While the Philadelphia Phillies have jumped out to a fast start, they're still eagerly awaiting the return of Chase Utley. Philles manager Charlie Manuel says that while progress is being made, it's coming along slowly. From Phillies.com:
Chase Utley’s Knee ‘Feeling Better’
“It’s still the same,” Manuel said. “It’s a day-to-day thing. He’s slowly getting better. He’s slowly feeling better. Hopefully, he keeps going that way.“The slugging All-Star second baseman was diagnosed with patellar tendinitis in his right knee before the start of spring training, and Utley hasn’t played a game since. The Phillies are hoping that Utley will be back sometime before the All-Star break, possibly as soon as May.
The Phillies haven't missed Utley as much as they would have expected in the first two weeks of the regular season, with fill-in Wilson Valdez hitting .353/.389/.441 through the first 11 games. The team obviously isn't expecting that kind of production going forward from a .245/.294/.331 career hitter, so they'll continue to push for a speedy return for Utley.
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