Owings progressing slowly from nagging shoulder

PHOENIX -- Shortstop Chris Owings has been out since June 25 with a strained left shoulder, and he still is not close to returning to the D-backs' lineup.

Owings said Thursday that he hasn't received a timetable for when he could return, but it doesn't look to be in the near future.

"This isn't what you want to be doing," Owings said. "It's tough, watching the team play on the road and just sitting in the dugout."

Owings, who is dealing with soreness, said he has been working on shoulder strengthening exercises, and while he hasn't been doing much hitting, he has been running the bases and fielding grounders.

"[I] was going to Salt River [the D-backs' Spring Training facility] over the break and just trying to do what they got me doing, trying to get back out there on the field," Owings said.

Manager Kirk Gibson, who stated on Thursday that Owings wasn't "progressing to the next level," said the shortstop was scheduled to see a doctor on Friday.

Owings was in the midst of a promising rookie season before this injury sidelined him. He was hitting .277 with a .771 on-base-plus-slugging percentage. His 1.9 WAR (wins above replacement) ranked fifth among National League shortstops.