Utley says he feels normal "aches and pains" in various body parts, but emphasized he has no injuries. He admits having occasional pain in his right knee, but says it isn't bad enough to keep him out of the lineup.
Lopes made the remark in an interview, posted on baseballprospectus.com, which quotes Lopes as saying Utley has been dealing with "a little bit of a knee injury."
Lopes was talking about getting the team to utilize its speed more in stealing bases, saying this year they've been slow for "whatever reason."
When the interviewer asked Lopes what he meant by slow, Lopes responded by pointing out that Jimmy Rollins has been hurt and Jayson Werth had not been aggressive at all.
He then went on to say that Chase Utley was playing with the knee injury.
However, Phillies GM Reuben Amaro is disputing that. In an interview with Comcast SportsNet, he's quoted as saying: "Davey Lopes is not a doctor. He's not our spokesman. He has given out wrong information." Amaro went on to say, point-blank, that Utley is not injured.
Utley currently has a .377 on-base percentage, but is batting just .257 with a .451 slugging percentage.
ESPN points out there has been some speculation that Utley has been playing hurt but this is the first time anyone from the organization has been quoted as saying anything remotely specific about an injury.
Utley has been known to keep his injuries from becoming public knowledge.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
