CLEARWATER, Fla — It was like old times at Bright House Field Friday as Chase Utley, making his much-awaited 2015 debut in the Phillies' lineup, singled leading off the fourth inning and Ryan Howard followed with a home run, his first of the spring, to give the Phils a 2-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays.
“We’ve done that a few different times,” admitted a smiling Utley, who went 1 for 2 as the Phillies designated hitter in his first game since he sprained his right ankle when he accidentally stepped on a baseball while working out in San Francisco in January.
“Those were two good at-bats there,” said Howard, referring to Utley’s return.
“I thought Chase looked great,” chimed in manager Ryne Sandberg.
“It did feel good to get out there and get some at-bats,” said Utley, who will not make the trip to Lakeland Saturday for the Phillies’ game against the Tigers.
“It’s not perfect yet,” Utley admitted when asked about his ankle. “But it’s getting there.”
Utley said he might DH at least once more before he makes his first start at second base.
“We’ll talk about that,” Sandberg said. “We’ll hook him up on a plan from here on out.”
Utley, batting third in the lineup, struck out swinging his first time up and led off the fourth inning with a single to center. Then he was replaced by pinch runner Aaron Altherr.
The 36-year-old Utley is in the final year of a two-year, $25 million deal. He has a $15 million club option for next season that automatically vests with 500 plate appearances. He has similar clauses in his contract for 2017 and 2018.
Utley did not play in any spring training games in 2011 or 2012 because of knee problems that caused him to miss the majority of the first halves of those seasons. He played in 103 games in 2011 and 83 games in 2012.
Last season, the veteran second baseman started strong and played in 155 games — his most since 2009. But his numbers declined over the final three months. He finished with a .270 batting average, 11 home runs and 78 RBIs.