Carlos Lee went 2-for-4 with a solo homer in a 7-3 win over the Mets on Saturday.

It was just his fourth home run of the season. Matt Downs and Bill Hall also went deep in the victory. Lee singled in the bottom of the first inning to notch the 2000th hit of his major league career. While his current .245 batting average isn't very impressive, he is batting .419 (13-for-31) over his first eight games this month.

Carlos Lee (rib) took batting practice, played catch and fielded fly balls in the outfield prior to Thursday's game against the Reds.

"A lot better than expected," Lee said about the workout. "The more I got warmed up, the better I felt. Swinging the bat is not a problem. I was chasing balls in the outfield and I ran pretty good. It's just a matter of getting comfortable with the pain. It's not going to go away overnight or in the next day or two, but I've got to get used to it." Lee has missed the last three games with the injury, but hopes to return to the lineup this weekend against the Giants.

Carlos Lee (rib) is not in Thursday's lineup against the Reds.

Lee continues to be sidelined with a contusion of his left ribcage. The speedy Jason Bourgeois will get another start in left field and is worth using while he's in the lineup.

Carlos Lee (rib) is expected to miss several more days.

Lee sustained a contusion of his left ribcage in a collision with shortstop Angel Sanchez on Sunday. He likely won't require a DL stint, but the Astros will exercise caution for now. "We're going to make sure that he can do everything - running, fielding, throwing - before we look at him to be put back in the lineup," said manager Astros Brad Mills. Speedster Jason Bourgeois is taking his place in left field and could be worth a short-term play in NL-only leagues.

A CT scan of Carlos Lee's ribcage revealed a contusion, but no break.

We still don't know how long he'll be out, but obviously this is very good news. Lee was carted off the field Sunday after he was injured in a collision with shortstop Angel Sanchez in which both players were chasing a Mart Kotsay pop fly in the seventh inning. The Astros will use Brian Bogusevic and Jason Bourgeois as fill-ins for Lee if he needs time off.

A preliminary chest X-ray on Carlos Lee showed no fractures.

He is scheduled to undergo a CT scan as well. Lee was carted off the field Sunday after he was injured in a collision with shortstop Angel Sanchez in which both players were chasing a Mart Kotsay pop fly in the seventh inning. Sanchez' knee connected with Lee's abdomen as both men slid. "When he gets over this, he's going to come back and be fine," manager Brad Mills said. "He had the two hits and the big home run, which was nice, obviously. When he's healed, he'll pick up right where he left off. He'll be fine." If Lee ends up hitting the disabled list, expect the Astros to go with Brian Bogusevic and Jason Bourgeois in the outfield.

Carlos Lee was carted off the field Sunday after he was injured in a collision with shortstop Angel Sanchez.

Lee and Sanchez were chasing a Mart Kotsay pop fly when they collided.

Carlos Lee is hitless over his last 15 at-bats.

It's actually part of an even bigger slump, as Lee is 2-for-28 (.071) over his last seven games. He enters play Thursday with a .198/.238/.333 batting line over 101 plate appearances and isn't worth a roster spot in shallow mixed leagues.

Carlos Lee hyperextended his left elbow on a slide into third base Tuesday night against the Mets.

Lee hurt his elbow in the third inning, but remained in the game until being removed for a defensive replacement in the eighth inning. He doesn't expect to miss a start.

Carlos Lee went 2-for-4 with two RBI in Houston's loss to the Padres on Sunday.

El Caballo is now up to nine RBI through 16 games played, but is still hitting just .234. It took him 27 games in 2010 to reach nine RBI.