The Official Site of Chase Utley

Mon, Jan 26th 2009, 11:50

Chase's rehab is on schedule

Chase’s rehab continues to go well, and barring any set backs, Chase could be ready for opening day. However, despite his desire to be on the field with his teammates when the 2009 season begins, Chase won’t rush back to the field.

“It’s not trying to find a way — it’s listening to my body,” said Utley. “Right now, we are listening, and it’s responding well. If that continues to happen, then I don’t see why I won’t be ready for Opening Day. But if there are some setbacks — which could be a possibility — I’m not going to be dumb about it. I’m not going to move through that. I’m going to listen to my body, and when it’s ready, it will be ready. Hopefully, that will be Opening Day.”

“Everything we’ve done so far, there’s been no problem,” Utley said. “We’re nine weeks out on Monday, so it’s been a good amount of time. I think in a few more weeks, as long as everything continues to go well, we can start swinging the bat a little bit. I’m looking forward to that, but we’re trying to be smart about this. We don’t want to overdo it. The training staff here is doing an outstanding job working with me, pushing me in the right direction but making sure I don’t do too much.”

Initial estimates on the recovery time speculated that Chase may be out until June, but Phillies manager Charlie Manuel is confident that Utley will be back as soon as possible.

“He works out and he’s more determined than anyone in the world,” Manuel said. “If he can be ready, he definitely will.”

Caution used when it comes to Utley

Video: Chase interviewed by CBS 3