Philadelphia Phillies second baseman, Chase Utley, recently took two sessions of batting practice – before the Phillies game against the Cardinals – but still experiences some knee pain in the field.
Utley's BP sessions may have been encouraging, but his work in the field was limited and that's the part of the game that causes the second baseman's creaky left knee the most pain.
The 33-year-old has been banged up the last few seasons and clearly on the downside of his career. In 454 at bats in 2011, Utley hit a career-low 11 home runs and drove in only 44 runs batted in. His .259 batting average was also the lowest output of his career.
Even at less than 100 percent, Utley's eventual return to the Phillies lineup should provide a much-needed boost to the last place Phillies.
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