PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) - Philadelphia Phillies infielder Chase Utley is expected to be out of action for up to two months after undergoing surgery on Thursday.
The Phillies said in a statement the four-times All Star was scheduled to go under the knife after badly spraining his thumb in Monday's 7-3 loss to Cincinnati.
Team officials later told reporters before Thursday's game against the Pirates that the second baseman could be out for as long as eight weeks.
The loss of Utley is a further blow to a team that played in the last two World Series finals but is struggling with injuries and form this season.
Utley is just one of six players on the disabled list while the Phillies, champions in 2008 and runners-up to the New York Yankees last year, are third in their division as the season approaches the halfway point.
"We're not the only team that has injuries," Phillies assistant general manager Scott Proefrock told the Major League Baseball website. "We've got a tremendous amount of talent still out on the field, and they need to step it up and do their jobs."
(Writing by Julian Linden in New York, Editing by Frank Pingue)
