CHICAGO -- Chicago Cubs first baseman Derrek Lee broke two bones in his right wrist in a collision with the Dodgers' Rafael Furcal and is expected to be in a cast up to six weeks.
The reigning NL batting champion and a two-time Gold Glove winner fractured the distal radial and distal ulna bones in a freak play during the seventh inning Wednesday night in Los Angeles. Furcal led off with a bunt single to the right of the mound. Reliever Scott Eyre dived for the ball and flipped it toward first base with his glove.
The ball sailed over Lee's glove as Furcal collided with him.
"Obviously, Derrek's a great player, great person, great teammate," general manager Jim Hendry said Thursday. "We feel badly, but we've got to move on."
Lee was examined by Cubs physicians Thursday in Chicago and is expected to go on the disabled list on Friday.
The injury occurred less than two weeks after the 30-year-old Lee and the Cubs agreed on a $65 million, five-year contract that calls for a $13 million annual salary and contains a no-trade clause.
He is batting .318 with three home runs and 10 RBI, after hitting .335 with 46 homers and 107 RBI runs last season -- his eighth in the majors and second with the Cubs. Lee had never batted above .282, hit more than 32 home runs or driven in more than 98 before that.
With Lee out, the Cubs could move Todd Walker over from second base or use veteran utility player John Mabry, manager Dusty Baker said after Wednesday's game.
The Cubs acquired Lee before the 2004 season in a trade with Florida, after he helped the Marlins beat Chicago in the NL Championship Series and then win the World Series.