"I would say he's close," manager Brad Ausmus said.
Avila is scheduled to throw to bases on Thursday before the Tigers wrap up their home-and-home series with the Reds. If that goes as planned, his next step will be to catch a bullpen session or two over the weekend at New York, where the Tigers face the Yankees.
That would seem to be a big step, given the left knee injury Avila is rehabbing, but Ausmus isn't quite as concerned about Avila catching as he is running.
"It doesn't bother him, actually, squatting at all," Ausmus said.