Utley continues to progress, nearing rehab assignment

Chase Utley took soft-toss batting practice and fielded ground balls Wednesday afternoon before the Phillies' 5-4 win against the Tampa Bay Rays. The swelling in his right ankle, originally sprained during a January workout, is "pretty much out of there," the Phillies' veteran second baseman said.

Utley, 36, continues to show progress from the ankle inflammation that landed him on the disabled list a month ago. He has ramped up baseball activities since the all-star break, and will continue to do so while he's with the team this weekend in Chicago.

A brief rehab assignment with one of the Phillies' minor-league affiliates looms, perhaps as early as next week.

"I do feel a little bit better," he said Wednesday morning after taking his swings in front of an empty Citizens Bank Park. "I have a little bit more motion in my ankle that I was lacking before. But it's still going to take a little bit of time to have the muscle memory remember the right way to do it."

Utley, who hit a major-league worst .179 in 218 at-bats before landing on the DL, said his goal for the rest of the season is "to be as healthy as possible." As far as how he thinks the ankle inflammation affected his swing, he admitted, "I don't think it helped."

"Not having the same range of motion in my ankle changes how you go about things," he said. "So gaining that, getting that back, I think will be beneficial."

Regarding his role when he returns, given that Cesar Hernandez has grabbed hold of the Phillies' second base gig, Utley said, "my focus right now is just trying to get ready to go."

Maikel Franco is expected back in the lineup Friday at Wrigley Field after a sore elbow kept him from starting Tuesday and Wednesday's games. He pinch-hit in the eighth inning Wednesday, drawing a four-pitch walk against Tampa Bay righthander Kevin Jepsen.

Franco played catch Wednesday morning and said afterward his elbow felt better. "We're looking forward to getting him back in there," interim manager Pete Mackanin said.

A three-hit game improved Ben Revere's average to .300 while an 0-for-5 day dropped Ryan Howard's to .221. . . . The ratings for Comcast SportsNet's telecast of Aaron Nola's impressive major-league debut on Tuesday were the station's best for a Phillies game since June 2014. The numbers peaked at 165,000 households at 9:15 p.m., oddly when Nola was already out of the game. . . . Phillies minor-league reliever Tyler Knigge, who had been with triple-A Lehigh Valley, was traded to the Seattle Mariners for cash considerations.