Ut-oh ...

By Amy McCormick

We’ve all known for weeks that Chase Utley has an injured right knee.  The mystery has been how severe the injury actually is; Utley has been known to play through pain, and Ruben Amaro, Jr. is famous for not divulging information.

There are a few things we need to look at here.  To begin with, let’s examine the actual damage to his knee.  Physician for the Phillies Michael Cicotti says that Chase has patellar tendonitis, chondromalacia, and bone inflammation.  What it boils down to is that Utley is in pain when he bears weight on his right leg.  He’s been able to swing the bat, because he’s a lefty, but running and playing defense are just too painful.  There is a chance, since he has had issues with the knee before, that the condition is degenerative.  Cartilage does not repair itself, and there’s a strong possibility that Chase will be faced with a decision: suck it up and play through the pain, or undergo surgery.

Assuming that Chase will be out for an indefinite amount of time, a question arises: will his absence have an impact on the Phillies? The answer to that question is a resounding YES.  Since 2005, no other second baseman has had more homeruns or RBIs.  If you look at WAR (Wins Above Replacement) numbers, you’ll see how many wins to which a player contributes compared to a how a replacement-level player would perform.  Over the past four seasons, Utley’s WAR average is 7.18.  Wilson Valdez, a possible substitute for Utley, has averaged 0.35. 

This leads to the next question: who will play second base? A middle infield position is not an easy one to fill, and Chase’s bat would be missed as well.  An obvious option is Wilson Valdez, who served as a substitute infielder through much of the Phils’ injury-riddled 2010 season.  Other possibilities are Michael Martinez, Delwyn Young, and Josh Barfield.  That’s just about it, right?

Maybe not.

Apparently, Charley Kerfield, a Phillies scout, has been watching the Texas Rangers.  More specifically, he has had his eye on Michael Young.  It seems that Michael Young trade rumors come up every now and then, so we shouldn’t count on a deal until we see it.  If we were to sign him, we’d surely end up sending pitchers to Texas.  That being said, Young can play 2^nd, shortstop or 3^rd.  The Phils could move Polanco to second base and have Michael Young at third base.  He posted a .284 batting average last season, and is a right-handed batter.  In our lefty-heavy lineup, that could be very beneficial.

It seems that there are still several unknowns at this point, and we’re all waiting to see what happens next.  I sincerely wish Chase Utley the best in his recovery and hope that he rejoins the team – healthy – as soon as possible.  In the meantime, we’ll have to stay tuned.