It's still a little early, so we don't want to sound off any alarm bells, but the Chase Utley situation has us worried.

Normally, Utley is a very reliable player.  But, after undergoing three surgeries since 2007, you have to wonder if he’s in store for another one.  Last year, he played in 115 games due to a thumb injury (the lowest mark of his career) and now he’s off to a slow start for 2011.

This time around, he’s battling a bad case of patella tendinitis and chondromalacia.  And, when you hear that he really didn’t respond to a cortisone injection, it really makes you start to wonder.  He has yet to make his Spring Training debut and he still appears a few weeks away from even being cleared for baseball activities.  At this point, there’s a good chance he could start the year on the D.L.

Recommendation:  On our cheat sheet, we moved Utley from the #2 overall second baseman to #4.  There's still plenty of time to get back to health, but he doesn't seem to be on the right track.  This is probably the biggest storyline to watch for the rest of March, so keep checking in for more updates.