Chase Utley Making Progress With Knee Injury, Preparing To Jog

Chase Utley's knee injury is the kind of thing the Phillies really didn't need, and when Utley himself said in an interview that he's just looking to get back for the second half, fans grew understandably concerned that this could be a pretty big deal.

But now we have some good news. Via Ken Rosenthal, Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro says that Utley could start jogging within a few days.

It sounds so simple, but that would be a big step for Utley, whose movement has been limited. Only recently has he started fielding groundballs without the use of a chair, moving to his right. He's also done some workouts underwater in an effort to test himself, but nothing that measures up to jogging.

Once Utley can jog, and jog pain-free, he could be on the fast track to return. From jogging, he goes to running, and from running, he goes to a rehab assignment. There's no timetable for his return right now, and the Phillies aren't going to bring him back until the discomfort is a thing of the past, but this is encouraging, to say the least. Utley may be able to join his teammates in the first half.