Stutes may need surgery.
Phillies GM Ruben Amaro spoke to the media today and gave a bevy of injury updates. Some were good, others were not.
PITCHERS:
–Roy Halladay is symptom-free during his throwing program, which is a huge positive. Seems like the 6-8 week timetable is still very much in play.
–Michael Stutes could have exploratory shoulder surgery, Amaro said. His nagging shoulder injury has not progressed the way they had hoped. Doesn’t sound like Stutes will be back anytime soon.
-David Herndon will almost certainly need had Tommy John surgery. He’s headed to see Dr. James Andrews on Monday to get the final word, but by all accounts, he’s going to have ligament replacement surgery. It was performed by Dr. James Andrews in Pensacola, FL.
-And finally, Justin De Fratus is going to throw off a mound on Thursday and reportedly his balky elbow is feeling good, according to the Phillies GM.
HITTERS
–Chase Utley is DH’ing tonight and batting third. Todd Zolecki of MLB.com says there is a chance he could return to the Phillies before his 20-day rehab is exhausted. Also a big positive. He reportedly felt fine following his six-inning outing at second base on Monday.
–Ryan Howard is playing the field and running the bases during exhibition games, according to Amaro. They hope to get him into rehab games in the next few weeks.
–Laynce Nix had another setback with his calf strain and will need another MRI to reassess the damage. Nix was one of their most potent hitters off the bench before the injury, but it looks like they’ll lose him for another lengthy period.
