Will Youkilis return this season?

Kevin Youkilis had surgery to repair a herniated disc in his back seven-in-a-half weeks ago, but his chances of returning this season are no more certain today than they were back in June.

John Harper and Stephen Lorenzo of The New York Daily news report that Youkilis was back in the Yankees clubhouse on Sunday, but isn't any closer to the field and remains unsure whether he'll be able to return to the lineup this season.

“The thing about the back is, there’s no timetables -- the surgery, it’s different for everybody in different ways,” he said. “We hope we can play this year but you have to go through all the progressions first and that’s what I’m doing.”

For now, the Yankees have Alex Rodriguez back to man the hot corner and given the nature of Youkilis' injury one has to believe that the team will take a cautious approach before it even considers inserting him back in the lineup later this season. Youk is hitting just .219 with 2 home runs and 8 RBI in this, his first season in New York.