The Phillies have been extra secretive when it's come to media access to Ryan Howard, who is still recovering from an Achilles injury sustained on the last play of the 2011 National League Championship Series. I, for one, am picturing Ryan Howard in a laboratory, where he's sedated around the clock and waiting for a new leg to grow in a large, large petri dish.

But now we have an update from CSN Philly. Kind of.

Amaro was asked if he believed Howard could be back before the end of June.

"I don’t believe so," he said. "I don’t think so."

Could Howard be back by the All-Star break?

"I don’t know," Amaro said.

Howard had been taking batting practice, and the earlier reports suggested that June was a possibility. But according to CSN, Howard's calf is weakened from the atrophy that occurred when his leg was immobilized, so they don't want to push him only to have another body part snap. So that means June is out. It's possible that July is in jeopardy, too.