Phillies Network

In the wake of the Phillies walk-off win, there has been more news that should lift spirits even more.

Chase Utley played eight innings at second base in Clearwater on Saturday night, marking back-to-back games in the field. He played all nine innings on Friday night.

That was always the determining factor in activating Utley. He had to be able to play consecutive days in the field without problems and it had to include a full game. He has now done that.

According to a report by CSN Philly’s Jim Salisbury, Utley will now head north with the Threshers hitting the road. He’ll play in one more rehab game with Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Tuesday, and if all goes well, could be in the Phillies lineup on Wednesday.

Utley is the first of three star players – the others being Ryan Howard and Roy Halladay – to return to the lineup. The Phillies seemed to make it a goal to have Utley back before their homestand ends on Thursday. Now, it appears they will have one star back.

Kevin Durso is a writer for Phillies Network. In addition to his work on Phillies Network, you can find articles by him for Philliedelphia and The Loquitur. Also listen to him every Wednesday on 89.1 WYBF-FM in Radnor, PA from 2-4 p.m. on The Block Party, a music show hosted by Kevin featuring sports talk, as well as from 8-9 p.m. on Sports Source, featuring sports talk on all Philly sports. You can follow him on twitter @KDursoPhilsNet. Also check out Phillies Network's page on Facebook or @PhilliesNetwork on twitter for new posts and updates.