Would surgery put Utley out for the season?

As fans get more and more nervous by the day, the Chase Utley saga continues with very little insight as to what is going to happen to the Phillies second baseman.

Utley, who has been diagnosed with chondromalacia and bone inflamation in addition to the patellar tendinites that was previously found in his right knee, has not played in a spring training game and is in jeapordy of missing at least some of the regular season.

The question is, how much?

The Phillies are looking at every angle possible to avoid surgery.

Does that mean surgery would put him out for the year?

Common sense would say that if surgery would only knock him out for a few months, why not get it done now and be back in time for the summer and stretch run.

I believe there is a strong possibility surgery would put him out for longer and that is why the Phillies are trying to avoid that path.

In an article on philly.com today (, Tigers infield Brandon Inge, who had a similar injury in 2009, mentioned that Utley's only options were to have season ending surgery or playing through intense pain.

The last thing the Phillies want is for Utley to miss the season. They are built to win now and losing one of their best players would be a big blow to their championship aspirations.

Here are some of Inge's quotes:
"The pain that is associated with it is not fun. It’s a tough thing to play through."
"I played an entire year with it, then had the surgery and then an entire year last year recovering from it and it’s not fun. This is the first time I’ve felt comfortable. There is not much you can do about it."
"They don't just do arthroscopic surgery -- they open you up. Surgery was frustrating...because the recovery is slow. In the beginning part, it’s painful."
"It's patellar tendinitis. Even if he does have the surgery, it's never going to be the same. I wish I had better news and I hope the best for him."

That does not sound good. No wonder the Phillies are trying to avoid surgery.

Phillies GM Ruben Amaro has said the team has not considered surgery to this point.

"This is definitely not something we're talking about," he said.

Utley said that having surgery was not as simple as having surgery when asked why he just did not have it now.

"What you said would make sense," he answered, "but it's not that cut-and-dry."

So what does all of this mean?

I believe that the Phillies need Utley in their lineup to win a World Series. They know this and I believe they know that if Utley has surgery he will miss the season.

That is my best guess.

What I am positive of is that this just does not sound good for Utley or the Phillies.