Slow and steady heals the knee

It’s been almost a month and there are still no real answers for Chase Utley. The Phillies second baseman still doesn’t have a timetable for his return. And he doesn’t want to go under the knife.

“I think we’ve been pretty patient with it, and I think we’re going to continue to,” Utley told reporters yesterday. “If surgery was the answer, and I could be back on the field in six weeks guaranteed, it would be a no-brainer.”

But that’s apparently not the answer. So Utley and the Phillies will wait it out. Utley has been taking batting practice the entire spring, but he had been unable to run or field ground balls. Utley did some of the latter yesterday in a brief workout.

Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. said he won’t place his injured star on the 60-day DL, saying he was hopeful Utley would return “long before that.”