Ryan Howard is headed back to the doctor to have the wound on his surgically-repaired ankle looked at. It will be his second visit to the specialist in a week and a good checkup will put him a step closer to getting back on the field. "We hope to get good news," said general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. "Hopefully it has healed to the point where he is cleared to increase baseball activities. If he is, we can be aggressive with him because his Achilles has healed." Howard had surgery to repair a torn left Achilles tendon in October. In February, he developed an infection after a surgical suture did not dissolve.