HOUSTON -- Ty Wigginton received encouraging news on Monday when he was informed he was not headed to the disabled list, although that could change later this week.

Wigginton was examined by Dr. Tom Mehlhoff, who confirmed the original diagnosis of a fractured left thumb. Mehlhoff will examine Wigginton again on Tuesday, and if all goes well, Wigginton could test the thumb by taking practice swings and playing catch on Thursday's off-day. If he struggles, the club will likely place him on the DL.

"We're going to see if we can navigate through this [Cardinals] series without him," general manager Ed Wade said. "Right now it seems like the best course of action is to try to get through this series without him and see where we are after that."

Wigginton suffered the injury while tagging a sliding Jason Marquis at Wrigley Field on Saturday. The next day, Wigginton was hopeful that he wouldn't have to go on the DL. He reiterated that stance Monday.

"It feels better than it did yesterday," Wigginton said. "The doctor confirmed the fracture, but hopefully I'll still avoid the DL and get back before that amount of time."

Wade said because the fracture is non-displaced and at the upper most part of the thumb, there's a chance Wigginton can play through it. The healing process will probably last four weeks.

"Right now the challenge for him is gripping a bat and squeezing a glove," Wade said. "The way Dr. Mehlhoff described it to me, if this was the World Series, he'd be playing tonight. It's April, so you take the more conservative route, but that doesn't mean we have to go all the way to a DL right off the bat -- if we can figure out how to get through the next three days without him."

Geoff Blum will receive the bulk of starts at third base in Wigginton's absence. Mark Loretta is also an option, and Tomas Perez's versatility could also be a factor, considering he can play all infield positions.

"We just have to get Blum's bat in the lineup, and this is a good way to do that," manager Cecil Cooper said. "You hate for someone to be injured, but it's a good way to get Blum in there and get him some at-bats. I love that left-handed swing he's got. Loretta will continue to play second base [in Kazuo Matsui's absence]."