You knew that things didn't look good for Chase Utley when he had to be put on the disabled list with this thumb injury. Well, things went from bad to worse today, as the All Star second baseman had surgery on his thumb. If everything goes according to plan, he should be back in about eight weeks, also known as the end of August.
This is possibly the worst news of the season for the Phillies, who seem to be taking two steps back after a player comes off the disabled list. Every time someone gets healthy, two other players get hurt. Now, with Utley out for almost two months, the Phils have a huge hole at second base that they have to fill. Trotting Wilson Valdez or Juan Castro out there for every game isn't going to cut it, and having Jimmy Rollins bat third in the lineup isn't going to work all the time either.
The fact of the matter is that this is likely the biggest challenge that Charlie Manuel has faced since he took over the Phillies. In the last three years, this team has faced some big challenges, including losing Utley to injuries in 2007 and the start of 2009, but that was when just about everyone else on the team was healthy. Right now, the Phils are missing Utley, Placido Polanco and Carlos Ruiz. That's 60% of the starting infield right there, and that's not good. When you throw in the fact that the Phillies are also sitting in third place in the division at the moment, it's a recipe for disaster. The offense was struggling with Utley out there, and now, it's only going to go downhill. Not only that, but now the Phillies have to try and trade for a serviceable second baseman before the trade deadline. No one wants to see Juan Castro out there every night, so the Phillies have to get someone into town that can play at a higher level, but also be comfortable with riding the bench once Utley gets back. It's like in 2007, when the Phils picked up Tadahito Iguchi to start for a stretch. That's what they need to do here. It's going to be tough, since they don't have many pieces left to trade, but Ruben Amaro has to get it done.
On the plus side, Placido Polanco does not need surgery, and is more than likely going to be out for about a month. The only good news is the fact that he doesn't need surgery, but he's got to rest for about two weeks before doing anything. The last few years have been good ones for the Phils, as they've avoided the injury bug. Now, it's catching up to them and biting them right in the ass. All of these have hit at the worst possible time, and there might not be enough to come back from all of them. I'm not making excuses, not at all, but just all of this at once for this team seems like it's almost too much. If the Phillies do manage to still win the division, after all of this, then they are the toughest team mentally in the National League, by far.
They can still do it, though. It's just a matter of everyone else coming together and playing as well as they know that they can. That's what happens when you have prolonged periods of success. Players know what they have to do to get back, and this team can do it. They just have to do it this year without one of their biggest weapons for a stretch.
I hate injuries.
CSNPhilly.com: Utley out for 8 weeks
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