Newly appointed AFL umpiring director Wayne Campbell told AFL.com.au he had attended umpires training this week and had been impressed by Chamberlain's fitness.
"Ray is likely to return to the field this year," Campbell said.
"I went out to training on Tuesday night at Princes Park, it was my first training session (with the umpires), and I was very impressed with what I saw – their passion for the game, their professionalism and their fitness is elite.
"Ray was out there, he looks very fit and he'll be umpiring this year."
Chamberlain had knee surgery in February 2012 and was expected to miss 10 weeks, but he was plagued by inflammation for the rest of the year and did not umpire a game.
The veteran returned to umpire 14 games last year, but his season ended in July when scans revealed a fracture in his kneecap.
Chamberlain has umpired 178 AFL games since making his debut in 2004.
Twitter: @AFL_Nick
