"Chase Utley took another step toward a return Thursday, running and moving laterally on his sore right knee.

Utley spent about 10 minutes doing shuttle drills in left field, shuffling laterally and jogging lightly around four cones. He then came in and ran from first to third a few times, going slowly at first, then picking up speed to nearly his capacity.

The workouts mark the most concrete evidence of progress for Utley since he was shelved indefinitely before Grapefruit League games began in February.

"He's slowly getting better, he's slowly feeling better," Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said. "Hopefully he keeps going that way, too."

Utley has made steady -- if not always discernible -- progress since receiving a cortisone shot in early March. The injection provided little relief from the patellar tendinitis, bone inflammation and chondromalacia revealed in his last MRI, but steady rehabilitation work has reduced some of the discomfort.

Still, the timetable for a return remains a bit murky. Utley did not take questions from reporters before Thursday's game, and team officials say he'll have the ultimate say about when he's ready to play.

"He's driving the train," assistant General Manager Scott Proefrock said. "He's progressing as he tolerates. And if he said he is OK trying to run, obviously he felt good enough to do that. We'll see how he feels (today) -- that's really the true test of his he's progressing."

Production may vary

Utley's No. 3 spot in the lineup is being filled by shortstop Jimmy Rollins, who Manuel said was moved from the leadoff spot because he is one of the few proven run producers on the team.

Entering Thursday's game, Rollins was just 2-for-12 with runners in scoring position, and he had just six hits total with runners on base.

Despite the paltry RBI totals, Manuel said Rollins' bigger problem is simply a lack of base runners to drive in.

No. 2 hitter Placido Polanco has 10 RBIs already this year and was 9-for-17 (.529) through Wednesday with runners in scoring position, meaning much of the work has already been done by the time Rollins comes to the plate."