According to Peter Gammons’ last post on Twitter, Chase Utley will require surgery to repair his strained right thumb he injured sliding head first into second base against the Reds this past Tuesday.
Timetable for something like this is 5-6 weeks. That would put the Phillies without their All-Star second baseman until mid-August.
As of right now there has been no confirmation from the team’s site. However, Gammons is a trusted source throughout the baseball community.
Update, 1:40 pm MLB.com beat writer Todd Zolecki says that, according to a source, Utley will have surgery today in New York to repair a torn ligament in his right thumb. The source did not say how much time Utley would miss. Always optimistic, Zolecki reminds us how well Utley comes back from injuries.
Update, 2:44 pm: There are now reports that Utley has already had thumb surgery in New York. A press release straight from the Phillies says this:
Second baseman Chase Utley is scheduled to have surgery on his right thumb today, the Phillies announced. The procedure will be performed by Dr. Andrew J. Weiland at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City.
Utley, 31, was placed on the disabled list on June 29 with a sprained ulnar collateral ligament of the right thumb. He originally suffered the injury on June 28against the Reds while trying to stretch a single into a double in the fourth inning.
In 72 games this season, Utley is batting .277 with a .383 on-base percentage, 11 HR, 37 RBI and 49 runs scored. He extended his on-base streak to 15 gameson Monday prior to suffering the injury.
-Pat Gallen
Update, 5 pm: Chase Utley will be sidelined at least eight weeks according to the team. Placido Polanco is also out; he’ll be sidelined at least two weeks, and likely 3-4 weeks. Rough day for the Phillies.
Update, 5:20 pm: Randy Miller from Bucks County Courier Times and PhillyBurbs.com tweeted that he’s spoken to a noted hand specialist that has done 50-100 surgeries similar to Utley’s, and he says it will be a 10-12 week deal. The news just gets worse as the day goes on. If you want to listen to Miller’s explanation, go to 973espn.com at 6:30 this evening.
