Justin Maxwell (hand) will begin a minor league rehab assignment Tuesday with Double-A Corpus Christi. Maxwell fractured his left hand when he was hit by a pitch on April 24, but he's ready to return to game action. He figures to rejoin the Astros' lineup by the middle of the month.

Justin Maxwell (hand) expects to begin a minor league rehab assignment next Wednesday with Class A Quad Cities. Maxwell, who fractured his left hand on month ago, took 20 swings in the cage on Friday without discomfort. He's likely looking at a return in early June.

Justin Maxwell (hand) hit 15 balls off a tee and took 30 soft-tosses on Monday. Maxwell is no longer wearing a brace on his fractured left hand and is progressing steadily. He's scheduled to have a routine X-ray on Tuesday to see how the healing is coming along. The outfielder should make a late May/early June return if all goes well.

Justin Maxwell (hand) ran and played catch Thursday and is expected to begin swinging a bat next week. Maxwell had the protective cast removed from his fractured left hand on Tuesday and is ramping up his baseball activities slowly but surely. Barring a setback, he should be ready for activation before the end of the month.

Justin Maxwell had the protective cast removed from his fractured left hand on Tuesday afternoon. Maxwell is expected to begin light baseball activities in 7-10 days. He should be back before the end of May.

Justin Maxwell will undergo an X-ray mid-week to determine how much his fractured left hand has healed. If the healing is sufficient, Maxwell could begin a rehab assignment in mid-May, putting him on pace to return at the beginning of his protected 4-6 week timetable. "I can't change what happened. The only way it's going to get better is through healing. . The more positive you are in your attitude, the quicker it's going to heal," said Maxwell. "I'm just looking forward to Tuesday or Wednesday and seeing what it's looking like and hopefully everything's going well."

Justin Maxwell will be sidelined 4-6 weeks with a non-displaced fracture in his left hand. It was reported Thursday that Maxwell would miss four weeks, but evidently it's possible it could be a bit longer. He will not require surgery, but it's unclear when he'll be allowed to start swinging a bat again.

Justin Maxwell (hand) is expected to be sidelined for four weeks. Maxwell has a non-displaced fracture in his left hand, so he will not require surgery. The outfielder should be able to start swinging again in a few weeks and could be back in the Astros' lineup by the end of next month.

Astros placed OF Justin Maxwell on the 15-day disabled list with a fractured left hand. It's not clear at this point how long he will be sidelined. The Astros will call up Robbie Grossman prior to Wednesday's game, and they could use him as the regular center fielder. They also have Brandon Barnes and Rick Ankiel as possible options in center.

Justin Maxwell homered, doubled and walked versus the Angels on Friday. The homer, a solo shot off Tommy Hanson, was Maxwell's first of the year. he has a nifty .359 average after 10 games. Given his past strikeout rate, it's highly unlikely that he'll maintain a quality average all year. Still, the speed and power numbers could be pretty good.