Chase Utley has returned to the Phillies!

He's back! The Phillies got some great news as Chase Utley, who had been sidelined since June 28th with an injured thumb, has been activated from the disabled list and is ready to step back into the starting lineup. While the original diagnosis called for Utley to be out until late August, he has once again shown a remarkable ability to heal and is ready well ahead of schedule. It's great timing for the Phillies, who remain 2.5 games behind the Braves despite not having their best hitter in the lineup for well over a month.

To make room for Utley, the Phillies have once again designated Greg Dobbs for assignment. As you may recall, Dobbs was DFA'd back in June but managed to get back to the majors after a short stint in Triple A. I'm not sure why the Phillies aren't sending Domonic Brown so he can actually get some playing time; I guess they are fine with him getting only occasional at-bats with the big club.