Update: Chase Utley Not Close to Jogging

Despite the earlier report that Chase Utley was progressing in his rehab to the point where he could soon begin running, the second baseman is not quite that far along in his recovery, according to Phillies General Manager Ruben Amaro, Jr.

In a Q&A this afternoon, Amaro reiterated that Utley's recovery was still very much a work in progress. Ryan Lawrence of The Delco Times has more:

Amaro: "He's not ready to run. That would be the next step, if he felt comfortable to do that would be to run, hopefully we'll get him there at some point."

Q: Close to jogging?

Amaro: "He's not close to jogging."

And there was more...

Q: He's been bending taking ground balls, down on one knee -- correct or incorrect to assume he's not feeling pain? Or some discomfort?

Amaro: "Right now he feels some discomfort. But not to the point where it's debilitating for him. He's made some progress whereas it's not as painful."

He would then add “it's literally day to day,” which is exactly right. With Utley, there is no such thing as too slow a recovery. As awesome as the earlier (and incorrect, as it turns out) news was, it's critical that they keep him from doing too much too fast.

Still, the conflicting reports about Utley's state of health are curious, if for no other reason than because Ken Rosenthal is a good reporter and isn't the type to dish out bad information. (However, he is the guy who sniffed out the Roy Halladay/Cliff Lee trades in 2009 about a week before anyone else.)

Of course, this could be another instance of Amaro not wanting to turn over all his cards with regards to his star second baseman. And it makes sense, too. If he says that Utley is close to running, then anything short of him sprinting the next weekend is a disappointment. However, if he says that Utley is still hobbled, then it's an easier pill to swallow when he is out of the lineup until June.

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