By now, as he enters his 19th season in professional baseball, Dodgers veteran Chase Utley operates by instinct. At certain moments in a game, he can sense when his presence is required on the mound. He will leave his post at second base, trot toward the pitcher and offer some insight.
Before 2018, Utley's visits to the mound counted only toward his intrinsic value to the Dodgers, who re-signed the 39-year-old to a two-year contract this offseason. Now those visits will be cataloged on the scoreboard, part of Major League Baseball's implementation of a mound-visit restriction for this season.