Utley to have surgery, miss 5-6 weeks

The road to a third straight World Series appearance just got a whole lot tougher. Word has come out today that Chase Utley, who injured his thumb sliding into second base on Monday, will need surgery to repair a torn ligament. While there has been no official word on how long he will be out, David Murphy of Philly.com believes Utley will miss 5-6 weeks.

No matter how you look at it, this is a huge blow for the Phillies. While Utley hasn't quite been the hitter we've been used to over the last few years, his departure leaves a gaping hole in the lineup for an extended period of time. In his absence, and with Placido Polanco also out, the Phillies are forced to turn to a combination of Greg Dobbs, Wilson Valdez and Juan Castro on a daily basis. Expect the Phils to actively be trying to acquire someone who can play second or third base in the coming days.

With Utley out for about two months and Polanco shelved for an undetermined amount of time, the Phillies infield is in shambles. There is no way a team can contend for the playoffs with players like Wilson Valdez playing every day. About the best the Phils can hope for now is to tread water until Utley comes back in August and then make a playoff push then.