Amaro: Utley Is Probably Staying

Guess those Chase Utley trade rumors were premature. The longtime second baseman for the Phillies will probably spend the rest of the season here, GM Ruben Amaro said today.

“It is very likely he’ll be here in Philadelphia through the end of the year and then we’ll see what happens after that,” Amaro said during a morning interview on WIP, the sports talk radio station.

As recently as Friday, stories suggested that Utley was probably headed to San Francisco, where the Giants are defending the World Series championship. Even as a trade seemed near, though, Utley — who has veto rights over any trade — let it be known he wanted to go only where he’d get good playing time.

SI notes: “Since returning from an ankle injury, Utley has gone 13 for 26 in seven games with five doubles, five RBIs and a home run. Across the entire season, he is hitting just .213 with a .332 slugging percentage.”