Chase Utley Close to Returning?

Yesterday, in an extended spring training game, Phillies second baseman Chase Utley went 5-7 with 2 HRs. He will probably make several starts in extended spring training before heading off to a minor league rehab, according to Randy Miller from Phillyburbs.com:

Barring a setback, Utley will work his way into playing minor-league rehab games, probably initially for Class A Clearwater.

Miller also reports these quotes from Utley after the game on how his knee felt:

Better yet, Utley apparently had no knee problems.

"It felt pretty good just to get back out between the lines," Utley told the Associated Press. "So far so good and we'll see how it responds tomorrow and go from there."

Utley faced only left-handed pitching on Saturday, and will probably play again on Sunday. It sounds like the Phillies want to see how he responds to playing two days in a row before making a decision on putting him on an official minor league rehab, judging by these quotes from Phillies manager Charlie Manual:

Better yet, Utley apparently had no knee problems.

"It felt pretty good just to get back out between the lines," Utley told the Associated Press. "So far so good and we'll see how it responds tomorrow and go from there."

Hearing the update on Utley's five-hit game, Phillies manager Charlie Manuel cautioned that it still could be awhile before he gets his second baseman back.

"That's real good, but at the same time we still need to see how he's going to recover and also he still needs some at-bats," Manuel said. "Utley needs to go about two days, and the next day see how he recovers. "

I will provide updates on his progress in the daily Roto Roundups. Fantasy owners should pick him up in fantasy leagues if he is still available, but I doubt he is available in many leagues.

Could see see Utley back by Memorial Day?