Utley Could Return Soon

"The long wait soon may be coming to an end.

Charlie Manuel wasn't offering much more in the way of specifics on when Chase Utley might see action in a Grapefruit League game Wednesday, but he did up his rather open-ended timetable for a return.

"I'd say it's coming up pretty soon," Manuel said. "It's going to be a few days yet, but then he'll start pushing his workouts up."

This stands in stark contrast to Manuel's effusive rebuffs of previous inquiries regarding Utley's playing time, but the timetable fits rather closely with estimates offered by GM Ruben Amaro Jr. earlier this spring suggesting Utley only needed about a week to 10 days to prepare for the season."