Utley was let go by Los Angeles to set in motion his impending retirement.
Utley announced before the season ended that he'd be walking away from the game following the conclusion of the 2018 campaign, so the Dodgers issued his release to facilitate his official retirement. He spent the majority of his career with the Phillies and finishes with a .275/.358/.465 slash line over 1,937 games.
Utley (wrist) was activated from the 10-day disabled list Saturday, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic Los Angeles reports.
The veteran infielder rejoins the active roster on the league-wide expansion day. Utley owns a .240/.321/.342 line in 69 big-league games and will serve as utility depth down the stretch.
Utley was placed on the 10-day disabled list Thursday with left wrist inflammation, J.P. Hoornstra of the Los Angeles Daily News reports.
Utley will hit the shelf to make room on the 25-man roster for the return of Justin Turner from the disabled list. It's unclear if Utley's injury is overly serious, but more information on his status should emerge as he nears a return to action.
Utley will retire at the end of the 2018 season, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports.
Utley is under contract for next season, but there was suspicion back when the contract was signed that 2018 might be his last year. The 39-year-old is still a competent bench player, but nothing more than that, having produced a below-average batting line for four straight seasons. He'll call it quits on an excellent career, one which includes six All-Star selections, a World Series (2008) and three National League pennants (2008, 2009, 2017). Over a 10-year stretch from 2005 to 2014, he was the second-best position player in baseball (behind only Albert Pujols) by both fWAR and bWAR. His 259 home runs rank seventh all-time among second basemen.
