Categories: InjuriesPostsRaising Questions

Utley Receives Cortisone Shot; Panic Time?

If you weren’t worried before about Chase Utley’s lingering patellar tendinitis, well, this may change your mind.

Jim Salisbury of CSN Philly reports that Utley’s condition has not improved in the five days since its initial diagnosis, and the team has upped the ante, administering a cortisone shot to the ailing knee. Just like Brad Lidge, Roy Oswalt and Placido Polanco before him, Utley now has a corticosteroid trying to soothe his wound.

As Salisbury notes in his article, no improvement in five days isn’t good. It’s not necessarily catastrophic or even indicative of Utley missing regular season time, but it’s certainly not encouraging.

Talks of Michael Young are sure to kick up again, but at $16M annually through 2013, he’s not a fit unless his salary is paid nearly in full. And maybe not even then. What seems most likely is more playing time for Wilson Valdez, should Utley miss time.

Does this latest news set you to worrying yet? Were you already there? Or are you still confident that Utley will be fine in 2011, and that this will prove to be nothing but a small nuisance, a speed bump?

Paul Boye

Paul joined Phillies Nation in January 2010 after moving over from his old blog, The Phrontiersman. What began as a desire to enter the world of sportscasting has gradually evolved into a passion for scouting baseball players; Paul will be working for Baseball Info Solutions during the 2010 season doing just that. He brings some views and opinions that are off the beaten path, yet has a great affinity for stats of all shapes and sizes. He is a firm believer that Chase Utley is The Man, Mike Schmidt is the greatest Phillie ever and Harry Kalas was the voice of God. You can catch his frequent stat and tidbit posting on Twitter.