So you noticed too? Phillies second baseman Chase Utley hasn't played in any Spring Training games.
It's probably hurting him more than it's hurting you. A recent MRI revealed that the All-Star slugger has patellar tendinitis in his right knee.
"You know it doesn't bother him when he hits. He's gotta ice, he's gotta do a couple of different things to strengthen the area around there as well, and you know Chase will be diligent about that as we all know," said General Manager Ruben Amaro, Jr. "Hopefully, over the next few days he'll be playing some games and we'll go from there."
Utley says its something that he’s dealt with before. “It’s probably been here and there for a while now,” he told MLB.com. “There’s no rhyme or reason to why it starts to flare up on me…”
Patellar tendinitis affects the tendons in the knees and is quite common among professional athletes. It can usually be treated with cortisone injections or surgery, but Utley has yet to receive either one.
So far the only thing the Phillies recommend is some classic rest and relaxation.
“We just don’t want it to get any worse. There’s no reason for us to push him now and have it be a problem in May, June, August. So we’re going to take it easy on him,” Amaro told MLB.com.
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Utley has already missed three exhibition games and will likely miss more in the week ahead.
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