When it was reported that Chase Utley had suffered some discomfort and burning pains in his right rib cage during batting practice before Tuesday's game in Miami, we all knew that his MRI would discover an injury. The symptoms of which Utley had complained about – burning sensation, tightness, and difficulty breathing – only meant one thing: an oblique injury.
And that's what the diagnosis is. Chase Utley has a mildly-strained oblique. Utley's time frame is listed as 2-4 weeks, but Ruben Amaro Jr. hopes that Utley could be back in as little as 15 days. Utley is hitting .272 with 7 HR and 25 RBI in 44 games. His contract runs out after the season and this may potentially hurt his trade value should the Phillies consider moving him.
In correspondence to Utley being put on the DL, the Phillies have called up infielder Michael Martinez. In 31 games with Triple-A Lehigh, Martinez is hitting .226 (24-for-106) with 12 RBI and 10 stolen bases. With Michael Stutes being called up in place of the struggling Phillippe Aumount, both Martinez and Stutes intend to aid the big league club as much as they can.
For now, Utley's injury isn't serious, but rushing him back could only make it worse than it already is. Oblique injuries are very easy to irritate and re-injure if not healed properly. Hopefully the Phillies can keep it rolling without Utley in the lineup.
Erik Seybold is a writer for Philliedelphia. Follow him on Twitter @ErikSeyboldPHI.
