Bonds’ injured knee continues to progress slowly

SAN FRANCISCO – Barry Bonds played catch for about 15 minutes Monday but would not predict when his injured right knee will allow him to play.

“It’s tough,” the Giants left fielder said. “I feel like all I do is work out and work out and work out. Normally, you work out and play.

“There is something to your workouts because you’re on the field playing. It’s really tough when you’re just basically working out and then sitting around rehabbing. I don’t like it.”

Trainer Stan Conte said he was encouraged by Bonds’ progress, adding that the seven-time National League MVP looked better and had less swelling than he had when the team left for a trip to Minnesota and Detroit a week earlier. But Conte cautioned about getting too optimistic.

“I can’t tell you when he’s going to go to baseball activities,” Conte said, referring to hitting and running. “I think you’re going to see a slight increase in activity over this next week, but the knee is going to dictate that.

“The idea is when he gets into baseball activities, he stays in baseball activities. I can get him out here with a bat and we can have a nice little photo shoot. But the question is getting him on the field and keeping him on the field.”

Manager Felipe Alou expects Bonds’ rehabilitation to pay off sooner rather than later. “I wouldn’t even say gut feeling,” Alou said. “I feel like Barry is going to play this year.”

Told of Alou’s comments, Conte said, “There’s plenty of time. But with all respect to Felipe, I don’t know that anybody can say anything about Bonds’ progress, because none of us had been right.”