Report: Chase Utley’s appeal ‘highly unlikely’ to happen before Game 3

Here’s the latest wrinkle in the biggest story in baseball at the moment: The appeal hearing for Chase Utley’s two-game suspension, which would keep him out of Monday’s Game 3 of the NLDS and potentially Tuesday’s Game 4 as well, is “highly unlikely” to be held before the Los Angeles and New York Mets meet again.

That means, according to Los Angeles Times scribe Bill Shaikin, that Utley could very well be in the lineup on Monday night and this Dodgers-Mets bout could get explosive, with bad blood lingering from Game 2 and with Mets ace Matt Harvey on the mound.

(AP) On Sunday night, MLB threw down the two-game suspension on Utley for what it deemed an “illegal” slide Saturday night. Utley took out Mets shortstop Ruben Tejada as he broke up a double-play attempt, also breaking Tejada’s leg in the process.

In the aftermath of the suspension, Utley exercised his right to appeal and there were reports that MLB was hoping to hold the appeal hearing on Monday. Since the series had moved to New York City, also home to the MLB offices, that seemed at least feasible.

But Shaikin said on Monday morning that it’s highly unlikely and numerous other national writers are hearing the same. Furthermore, Shaikin also said it’s unlikely that the appeal happens before Game 4. He writes:

The league had hoped to hold the appeal hearing Monday but cannot do so unilaterally. The Major League Baseball Players Assn. is entitled to preparatory time needed to research similar incidents and disciplinary precedents.

Yahoo Sports’ own Jeff Passan said it would unfair for the league to rush Utley’s appeal. In a string of tweets Monday, he said:

Moreover, if MLB truly wants to jam his appeal hearing today, it knows that’s unfair, doesn’t allow Utley the time to build proper defense.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) October 12, 2015

All of this could’ve been avoided a long time ago by MLB coming out and saying it’s going to enforce the rule and discipline accordingly.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) October 12, 2015

Everyone knows the rule is changing next year, as it should. It took too damn long frankly. Don’t hang Utley out because of your own errors.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) October 12, 2015

So now we wait on the other big question for Game 3: Will Harvey and the Mets retaliate?

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