I arrived at the ballpark a shade earlier than usual... and caught Jimmy Rollins working out with team athletic trainer Scott Sheridan.

Rollins, who has been out of the starting lineup since April 8, was running. And he was running in what appeared to be at least close to full speed.

I was honestly impressed as the normally fleet-footed shortstop whisked around the outfield grass, just beyond the baselines. Even running the arc around the area behind second base didn't seem to slow him down.

Of course, when he was done, Rollins did look to be in some discomfort. I just couldn't tell if it was him being winded or the pain from his left foot.

But he was running - and pretty fast - so I'm thinking that's a good sign for Phillies fans. Right?

It was just 24 hours ago that Rollins and manager Charlie Manuel said they were unsure when the shortstop, who is eligible to return from the DL on Monday, would be able to go on a minor league rehab assignment. (Read the notebook below, in the Archive Files.)

My guess is he's still not making the first half of the current west coast trip. But maybe he's sent out Saturday for a 3-5 day assignment and then joins the team in San Francisco next weekend.

But please know that's just a wild guess and speculation on my own part, just after watching him run right now.

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The Archive Files

The Phillies closed out a successful April - their best in 5 years - with a loss to Chris Young and the Padres.

In the notebook, Randy Wolf gears up for his first road start in Philadelphia.