Carlos Lee Injury: Ribs Bruised, Not Broken

Good news on Houston Astros outfielder Carlos Lee from MLB.com's Alyson Footer: a CT scan showed a contusion, not a break, after his scary collision with shortstop Angel Sanchez. Lee was carted off the field after both he and Sanchez slid in an attempt to catch a pop fly from Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Mark Kotsay, with Sanchez's knee going hard into Lee's ribs.

The results were negative, though, which was positive news for Houston. With reserve outfielder Jason Michaels already on the disabled list, the outfield depth in Houston is running pretty low. Lee is day-to-day right now, with Jason Bourgeois and Brian Bogusevic slated to get the bulk of the innings in left field until Lee gets back.

Lee was off to a horrific start for the Astros, hitting .194/.237/.324 with two home runs in 104 at-bats, well below his usual standards, though UZR has him as one of the better defensive outfielders in the majors this season. The contrast is somewhat amusing.

Carlos Lee Hurt, Carted From Field

From an AP story about an injury sustained Sunday afternoon by Astros left fielder Carlos Lee in an outfield collision with shortstop Angel Sanchez:

Both players were chasing Mark Kotsay's pop-fly double in the seventh inning Sunday against Milwaukee when Sanchez crashed into Lee, sliding knee-first into his abdomen. Lee remained on the ground, writhing in pain, for several minutes while trainers attended to him.

Eventually Lee was carted off the field, and was taken to a hospital for x-rays on "the left side of his ribcage."

Lee entered Sunday's game against the Brewers with a .194 batting average, though he did hit a three-run homer just an inning before the big wreck in the outfield. If Lee winds up missing significant time, the Astros might turn to a left-field platoon with Jason Michaels and rookie Jason Bogusevic. Another option might be prospect J.D. Martinez, who's been punishing double-A pitchers this spring.