Lee will be in a cast for up to six weeks after fracturing the distal radial bone and the distal ulna bone in his wrist during a freakish collision with Los Angeles shortstop
For the first three weeks, Lee will wear a cast to his elbow, immobilizing his right arm. General manager Jim Hendry declined to put a time frame on when Lee could return, though it could take another four to six weeks for the bones to heal completely after the second cast is off and for Lee to get his hitting stroke back in a minor-league rehabilitation stint.
Hendry has seen his best-laid plans get waylaid in stunning fashion for three years in a row.
Lee's injury came only eight days after he signed a five-year, $65 million contract extension. Coincidentally,
"Obviously, he's going to be out a while, and he's a great player," Hendry said. "I'm sure he's devastated because he's a total team guy who is integral to what we want to accomplish. It's a big blow, but we have to keep plugging and hope we can get better and better."
With Wood and Mark Prior already rehabbing from shoulder injuries,
Hendry said he's not looking to acquire a first baseman, preferring his in-house options.
"You're not going to replace Derrek Lee in any kind of a trade in April," he said. "You probably couldn't replace him anytime in a trade, as hard as you might try."
The only immediate options on the roster to replace Lee are second baseman
Of their top minor-league first basemen, Double-A West Tenn's Brian Dopirak is on the disabled list with a broken foot, and Brandon Sing is hitting .200 at Triple-A Iowa and isn't on the 40-man roster. Mike Restovich, an outfielder who has played some first, also is in Iowa
Walker is hitting .405 and has sparked the Cubs on the current trip, particularly in his first-inning at-bats. In his five starts on the trip, Walker has a triple, a solo homer, a two-run homer and a single in his first-inning at-bats. If Walker plays first,
If Mabry plays first, the Cubs lose their most experienced backup and their top pinch-hitter, but they could justify the call-up of Triple-A center fielder
Neither Walker nor Mabry can replace Lee's power numbers, intimidation factor at the plate or outstanding defense. Lee led the
Lee's injury occurred Wednesday night when reliever
Eyre blamed himself for the injury, second-guessing his decision to make the flip instead of eating the ball and giving Furcal the hit.
"I feel bad that I think I got Derrek hurt," Eyre said. "You're human. You second-guess yourself. I keep thinking in my head now that if I didn't flip it, he wouldn't be hurt."
Lost in the affair was the fact the Cubs staged an impressive comeback to win for the fourth time in six games on the trip, and the five starters have combined for a 2.61 earned-run average in the last five games.
"It was a big victory for us," manager Dusty Baker said. "I just hope we don't win the game and lose the war, so to speak."
psullivan@tribune.com