Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
CLEARWATER, Fla. — Chase Utley sat out the exhibition season opener on Tuesday and the Phillies second baseman will likely miss at least a week of Grapefruit League games because of a right ankle injury.
Utley is hampered by a sprained right ankle that he sustained in late January while working out. While he has been able to take part in hitting and fielding drills, he has been held out of base-running drills.
Because of chronic knee problems, Utley goes through a rigorous workout routine of stretching and strengthening on a daily basis just to be able to play. He has been able to do the workouts without problem this spring.
“I’m not quite there to 100 percent yet,” Utley said. “There’s no sense in overdoing it and screwing something else up, especially when we have a month until the season starts.”
The Phillies don’t open the regular season until April 6 when they host Boston. Thus, management is not concerned that Utley is not yet ready to participate in games.
“We want to ease him into things,” Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg said. “There is no sense in rushing him.”
General manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said, “They’re not going to play him for a little while because he’s not recovered from his ankle fully. When he is, that’s when we’ll start playing him.”
Staying on the field during the regular season will be important for Utley because he will need 500 plate appearances to trigger a $15 million vesting option for 2016. The two years and $25 million portion of his contract that is guaranteed expires at the end of the season.
Utley also has $15 million vesting options for 2017 and 2018 if he reaches 500 plate appearance in each preceding season.
