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.

Justin Maxwell tripled twice and walked Sunday in the opener against the Rangers.

Maxwell had an awful spring (.153/.231/.356, 21 K's in 59 AB), and as a result, he was hitting a bit lower in the order (fifth) than originally expected. Still, he offers an intriguing power-speed combination to go along with all of those strikeouts, and he really showed it off tonight by becoming the first Astro in a couple of years to triple twice in a game. The first triple, high off the wall in left field, almost bounced over for a home run.

Justin Maxwell was struck on the wrist by a pitch Monday but said after the game that he's fine.

Maxwell has a plate in the wrist from a previous surgery, but it sounds like he'll be OK. The 29-year-old is a decent late-round option in fantasy leagues with his power/speed combo.

Justin Maxwell left Monday's game against the Nationals after being hit by a pitch.

The Astros should provide an update on his status before long. Maxwell is slated to open the season as the club's starting center fielder.

Justin Maxwell went 0-for-4 and struck out three more times Saturday against the Braves.

Maxwell's power and speed combination makes him one of the Astros' most intriguing players for fantasy purposes, but he's having a pretty dreadful spring with his .157 average and 17/2 K/BB ratio in 51 at-bats. While he is a sleeper, it wouldn't be a good idea to put too many eggs into this basket.

Justin Maxwell homered and walked against the Tigers on Monday.

The Astros have surprisingly turned left field over to Chris Carter, but Maxwell's starting spot in the outfield still appears safe. He can't be counted on to stay healthy, but he could be a nice source of homers and steals early on.

Justin Maxwell had a three-run homer and an double Wednesday in a losing cause against the Cubs.

Maxwell played about as well as one imagined he'd play given the opportunity and good health; he batted just .229, but it came with 18 homers and 53 RBI in 316 at-bats. He's probably not going to take a big step forward and his injury history makes him tough to count on, but he's one of the Astros' better players at the moment.

Justin Maxwell homered for a second consecutive game, helping to lead the Astros to a 5-0 victory over the Phillies on Saturday.

He finished the night 1-for-4 with a run scored and two RBI. His two-run blast off Kyle Kendrick in the first inning gave the Astros an early lead, and would prove to be the difference in the game. He's settled in nicely as the cleanup hitter in the Astros lineup, and has blasted 16 homers with 46 RBI in only 267 at-bats. If you can live with the .236 average, he's been an extremely valuable commodity in most mixed leagues.

Justin Maxwell returned to action on Thursday August 30.

Justin Maxwell returned to action on Sunday August 26.

Justin Maxwell was scratched from Wednesday's lineup due to a bruised right index finger.

He's considered day-to-day. The Astros are going with an outfield of Ben Francisco, Brandon Barnes and Steven Pearce against the Cardinals' Kyle Lohse.

Justin Maxwell doubled and picked up his 36th RBI in Sunday's loss to the Braves.

Maxwell's sixth-inning two bagger off Kris Medlen plated the Astros' only run of the afternoon. Maxwell now has three extra-base hits and four RBI in his past two games. Hitting .292 to go along with four bombs and 12 RBI since the All-Star break, Maxwell has done a nice job of holding onto his NL-only league value.

Justin Maxwell single-handedly powered the Astros to a 3-2 victory over the Braves on Saturday, bashing a pair of homers that accounted for all of Houston's scoring.

Maxwell finished the night 4-for-4 with two runs scored and three RBI, and also stole a base. He hit a two-run shot off Paul Maholm in the fourth inning and added a solo shot off Maholm in the seventh. Maxwell has been very effective in limited action this season, now batting .242 with 12 homers, 35 RBI and three steals in only 182 at-bats.

Justin Maxwell hit a solo home run in Sunday's loss to the Diamondbacks.

Maxwell took Josh Collmenter deep in the second inning. Maxwell's ninth bomb of the season was his first since coming off the disabled list on July 13, and first since June 18 (13 games). Hitting .230/.315/.459, he's a bench option in NL-only leagues.

Astros activated OF Justin Maxwell from the 15-day disabled list.

Maxwell returns to the Astros lineup hitting third and playing center field. He's been a decent source of power in NL-only leagues, with eight bombs and 24 RBI in limited at-bats this season.