The 27-year-old third baseman, recovering from September microfracture surgery on his right knee, ran full speed Monday for the second time in his recovery and said he felt no pain or swelling.

"It feels real good," Tracy said after fielding grounders Monday afternoon, which followed his morning running session. "I ran again today and it feels good. Now, I have to get my at-bats in, but I'm ready for that."

D-backs manager Bob Melvin said Tracy's progress is such that he won't make the team's road trip this week -- the team leaves to play the Dodgers starting on Wednesday. Instead, Tracy will go to Tucson for extended Spring Training and could get live at-bats as early as the end of this week.

"The last few days of the running process he'll do at extended and work on some defensive things, too," Melvin said. "He could be in a game swinging a bat either Friday or Saturday."

Melvin added there is no timetable on the length of Tracy's visit to extended Spring Training, but acknowledged if things go well he could be playing for the Diamondbacks within a couple weeks.

As for Tracy, who said in Spring Training he had hoped to make the Opening Day roster, he hopes the stint on the disabled list is almost over.

"I want to get back," Tracy said. "I feel it getting better and I'm ready to get back out there helping the team. ... I'll be ready to come back here [Phoenix] in two to three weeks."

Tracy hit .264 with seven home runs and 35 RBIs in 76 games in 2007 before surgery. In his previous three seasons, he never played fewer than 143 games and has a career .288 average with the D-backs.

Melvin's next concern will be what to do with Tracy when he does come back. Mark Reynolds, who hit his sixth home run of the season in the bottom of the second inning against the Giants on Monday, has been on fire this season while manning the hot corner.

Through his first 17 games of the season, Reynolds had a team-high five home runs (tied with Justin Upton and Chris Young), a team-high 18 RBIs, is hitting .306 and has a slugging percentage of .597.

And while he is excited about the prospect of Tracy returning to help the team, he isn't about to quietly surrender his playing time if he can help it.

"I want to stay in the lineup, but I also want to see him come back if he can contribute," Reynolds said. "I hope the best for him. If he can contribute, that's great. He was a help last year, helping me get acclimated [to the big leagues], so I hope him all the best."