Polanco is merely delaying the inevitable, and he knows it. He will undergo off-season surgery to remove the bone spurs. But the hope is that this injection will power him through October.
He said he will need about three days to recover from the shot. Polanco wants to try to play in Sunday's series finale at Atlanta, so for that to happen, he would need to have the injection either Wednesday or Thursday.
With the tight schedule, it is possible that Polanco has played his last game of the regular season.
Moyer progresses
On Monday, Jamie Moyer threw off a mound for the first time since injuring his left elbow in July. In a 20-pitch bullpen session, he threw all fastballs. The next test comes Friday in another bullpen session.
"For the first time, I was very pleased," Moyer said.
The 47-year-old lefthander suffered a sprained ulnar collateral ligament and a strained tendon July 20 in St. Louis.
Since then, Moyer has been rehabilitating after he was told he would not need Tommy John surgery.
He has talked about possibly pitching in the Fall Instructional League but has yet to discuss the matter with the Phillies.
"I'm assuming we'll just wait and see how things progress and go from there," Moyer said.
"Everything has been positive so far. To set any timetables on it, I don't think it's fair."
Extra bases
Shane Victorino said he plans to leave the team Thursday. His wife Melissa is pregnant with the couple's third child. Victorino will fly home to Las Vegas on Thursday and likely miss Friday's game for the birth. . . . A group of Phillies, led by Mike Sweeney and Victorino, visited Walter Reed Army Medical Center on Tuesday.
