Chase Utley would never admit it, but his ailing hip, the one requiring surgery this offseason, bothered him at times during the 2008 season. He’s having surgery in New York next week, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer, which is a class good news-bad news situation for Phillies fans.

The bad news is, Utley will not participate in baseball activities for three months, which leaves his status for Opening Day in serious question. If he is on the tail end of a potential six-month timetable for recovery, Utley may not return to the field until May or June.

The good news is, the surgery will give Utley a much better chance of sustaining productivity over an entire season. Utley reportedly tweaked his hip in Spring Training last season, then was limited, especially in the second half, as he dealt with the pain.

Phillies trainer Scott Sheridan spoke to the Inquirer about Utley’s condition and specifically mentioned the month of July as troublesome for Utley. And it figures that July was Utley’s worst statistical month, with totals of 4 doubles, 10 RBIs, 6 walks, a .443 slugging percentage and a .780 OPS that were all season-lows.

To Utley’s credit, he played through the pain in 159 of 162 games. But, he was a shell of himself in the second half of the season and struggled to produce in the middle of Philadelphia’s lineup. His lack of production and Ryan Howard’s extended cold streaks overlapped and contributed to the Phillies’ uneven play throughout the summer.

Of course, all is well that ends well, and Philadelphia’s season featured a pristine ending. The beginning of ‘09 may not be so pristine with Utley out of the lineup, but sacrificing now gives the Phillies a better chance of hoisting a World Series trophy again next fall.

Fantasy Spin
With a little uncertainty and a likelihood that Utley misses the first month of the ‘09 season, he will drop into late first or early second rounds of fantasy drafts. Fantasy owners tend to avoid risk at all costs at the draft, which leaves a great opportunity for the brave soul who welcomes it on draft day. Use the eighth overall pick on him, take your lumps early, and get a cheap marquee player at a premium position for the rest of the year.