Howie Kendrick (knee) is improving but a return for next weekend's series against the Astros is a "best-case scenario," according to Angels manager Mike Scioscia. Even if a return next weekend isn't likely, the upshot is that Kendrick seems to be close to coming back at some point over the next 10 days to two weeks. Kendrick hasn't played since August 6 due to the injury.

Howie Kendrick (knee) took a significant step towards returning to the Angels lineup, running the bases at 90% speed before Friday's game. The veteran second baseman has been sidelined with a strained left knee since early August. Before hitting the DL, Kendrick was hitting .301/.341/.437 with 11 homers and 47 RBI in 108 games.

Angels manager Mike Scioscia still expects Howie Kendrick (knee) to return this season. Kendrick's recovery from a sprained left knee has gone very slowly. There are no plans fur further tests, though, and the club remains confident that they'll get him back eventually. It's just not clear when that will be.

Howie Kendrick (knee) was able to run the bases at close to full speed on Friday, but will not be activated from the disabled list over the weekend. Kendrick has had a slow recovery from a sprained left knee sustained early in August, but finally appears to be making tangible progress towards a return to the lineup. Expect to see him back in the Angels' lineup by the end of next week.

Howie Kendrick (knee) has yet to run at full speed. The second baseman has been doing baseball activities for about a week but is progressing slower than expected from a sprained left knee. His return date is up in the air.

Angels manager Mike Scioscia said Howie Kendrick (knee) needs "a little more time" before he's ready to play second base regularly. Kendrick was eligible to be activated for Wednesday's game, but it doesn't sound like he'll be ready to return this week. "He plays a position where you need to move, you need range," Scioscia said. "Even if he was just DH-ing, you have to be able to run at a certain pace, and we want to make sure that he gets there before we're putting him out there and make sure he can do what he needs to do before we put him out there."

Howie Kendrick (knee) has yet to run at full speed. Kendrick has, however, done some running, fielding and taken batting practice. He should test out his knee by running at full speed soon and could be activated from the disabled list over the weekend.

FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal reports that the Angels and Dodgers "held extensive trade discussions" before the deadline involving Howie Kendrick. Rosenthal says the talks "went right down to the deadline" and it's "unclear which team blinked." The Angels proposed a potential deal that included Dodgers pitching prospect Zach Lee, though it's unclear whether he would have been involved in the dead that nearly got done. Rosenthal writes that the Dodgers "could revive their pursuit of Kendrick in the offseason rather than attempt to sign Robinson Cano."

The Angels might wait until Friday to activate Howie Kendrick (knee) from the disabled list. Kendrick is eligible for activation on Wednesday, but the Angels are off Thursday and could use that to give him a couple extra days. The second baseman took batting practice Monday and his sprained left knee doesn't appear to be an issue anymore.

Howie Kendrick hit in the batting cage Tuesday for the first time since landing on the disabled list. Kendrick suffered a sprained left knee one week ago and is now starting to work his way back. There is some hope that the 30-year-old second baseman will be ready for activation when first eligible on August 21.