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Photo courtesy St. Pete Beach Photo

It is officially time to start freaking out. Ruben Amaro just issued this statement on Chase Utley. 

Here it is in full via must-follow (@KevinCooney):

Chase's rehab process has come to a bit of a plateau.  He has made some strides but not enough to take the field. He is headed out of town for a few days to be evaluated by a specialist that has helped athletes overcome his issue. We anticipate that this trip will allow him to build on what he has already done with Scott Sheridan in order to get over the hump.

 

And there it is– not totally unexpected, but still shitty.

It’s the first admission from the Phillies that Chase’s absence this spring has not been simply because of “rest” (what a surprise!). Don’t let Rube’s carefully chosen words fool you, either. He lies. Athletes don't see specialists to put the cherry on top of their rehab… they see specialists when they have setbacks. It’s 100% spin. And if you need evidence that it’s bullshit, just read through some earlier statements from Amaro, Manuel and Utley. My guess is that Utley’s knee was in worse than expected shape from the day he showed up in Clearwater.

But thanks for the update, Rube.

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UPDATE
: The liar told reporters that Utley has a problem in both knees now (great) and is "doubtful" for Opening Day, but would not say where he is headed to see a specialist. I want all eyes and ears at Tampa International Airport for a white male, 33, no knees. Let's find out where Chase is going.

Video of Amaro speaking to reporters is after the jump.

via Ryan Lawrence of the Delco Times