Utley offers no timetable for potential return

Utley said a few doctors have told him the same thing. "You can talk to 10 different doctors and they'll probably give you 10 different answers," he said. "There are a few different types of surgeries that guys would probably recommend. None of them I would feel that comfortable with at this point. I think we can alleviate this without the surgery, but time will tell. Hey, listen, if surgery was the answer and I could be back on the field in six weeks guaranteed, it would be a no-brainer. But I don't think that's the case. I think it's a little unpredictable at this point. I want to take as many steps as I can to avoid that surgery and see what happens." Utley said his new rehab program includes a stretching program and a "massage-type" program.

"A little bit more intense than just a standard massage, and I think it's loosening everything up, which allows my knee to work a little more efficiently," he said.

But is there a fear the pain will return once he returns to daily game action?

"That crossed my mind," Utley said. "That's why we're trying to take this process slowly to read how I'm responding. You might try something one day and see how you respond the next day. If it's OK and everything feels OK, you can make progressions off that. As long as you're moving in the right direction, I think we'll be OK."