Placido Polanco hyperextends elbow

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DUNEDIN, Fla. -- Philadelphia Phillies third baseman Placido Polanco has re-injured his surgically repaired left elbow in the first inning against the Toronto Blue Jays.

Polanco hyperextended his elbow on a swing in his only plate appearance Tuesday. He stayed in to play defense in the bottom half of the inning, but was replaced by Wilson Valdez when the second inning began.

Polanco

"It's just a day-to-day thing I think," Polanco said. "When I've had it before, I never stopped playing. But since I had surgery, they took me out."

Polanco was limited to 132 games in 2010 while dealing with chronic left elbow pain. He had scar tissue and bone spurs removed from the arm when he underwent surgery in November.

"It's right where I had the surgery, but it's nothing bad," he said. "I've had it before. I've had it a million times. But the fact that I had surgery on that elbow, we're being safe. We're playing it very safe. We'll see how it feels tomorrow and the next day, take it a day at a time."

Polanco is the latest Phillies player to get injured this spring.

Second baseman Chase Utley hasn't played in any exhibition games while trying to rehabilitate a right knee injury. And closer Brad Lidge was scratched from his scheduled appearance Monday with right biceps tendinitis.

General manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said Lidge played catch Tuesday and could throw off a mound as soon as Thursday.

Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press

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