Late Tuesday night, the Phillies announced that they placed second baseman Chase Utley on the disabled list after a season of struggling with a right ankle injury. The news is frustrating for Utley for the obvious reasons, but the DL trip could also impact his future beyond this season. As Todd Zolecki of MLB.com notes, Utley has a $15MM option for 2016 that automatically vests if he reaches 500 plate appearances. It’s quite possible that Utley’s time away from the field could keep him from reaching that plateau.
As of today, the 36-year-old has 249 PAs through the first 73 games of the season.