Chase Utley and Ryan Howard will be in the same lineup Wednesday. Sure, it will be in Clearwater in an extended spring training game, not in Philadelphia where the big league club plays battles the Los Angeles Dodgers, and neither will play the field.
Still, it's progress. Utley (knee) and Howard (Achilles) have yet to play a game this season. They haven't even been in the same lineup in a simulated game.
The fact that both Phillies sluggers will serve as designated hitters in the same game on Wednesday is all you need to about how close they are to returning. They are still weeks, if not months, from playing at Citizens Bank Park.
Utley hit a home run in an extended spring game on Monday. He had off Tuesday and will DH again on Wednesday.
Nobody is sure when he'll be healthy enough to actually play in the field in a game. Every day it's a wait-and-see dilemma.
"I'm not sure. A lot of it depends on how he feels," Amaro said. "He may just say to me, 'OK let's start rehab games.' Chase is Chase."
Howard's timetable is just as incalculable, even though he's made progress. The first baseman has begun jogging and doing light sprint work. It's a lack of strength in his calf that is currently holding him back from doing more.
MLB
Jim Thome is the closest of the Phils' three veteran sluggers to returning. He could be back with the Phillies by the end of their current homestead, according to Amaro.
Thome, however, will be limited to pinch-hitter and designated hitter duties -- the Phillies begin a stretch of nine straight interleague road games on Friday -- for the foreseeable future as he struggles with a back injury.
The 21-year-old is experiencing too much discomfort to play in the field. That limits him to a strictly pinch-hittering role after interleague play, which raises the question: Can he be an effective player in the National League in such a limited capacity?
"I don't know," Amaro said. "That is a good question. We'll find out."
Further Injury Updates
Starting pitcher Roy Halladay is "doing pretty well." He's symptom-free and has begun shoulder and upper-body exercises.Relievers Michael Stutes (shoulder) and David Herndon (elbow) are "moving slowly."Outfielder Laynce Nix (calf) will head to Clearwater on Thursday. Nix has been running and hitting and needs to prove he can take off on the injured leg before beginning a rehab assignment.