updated 7:01 p.m. ET April 15, 2006

PITTSBURGH - First baseman Sean Casey will be out of the Pittsburgh Pirates’ lineup for six to eight weeks with two fractures in his left lower back.

Casey, the Pirates’ highest-paid player, was injured during Friday night’s game against the Cubs while he was stretching for a throw. As John Mabry was running out an infield single in the third inning, he stumbled crossing the bag and clipped Casey with his hip or left elbow.

Casey took several strides toward the pitcher’s mound with the ball before dropping to his knees in obvious pain. He was assisted off the field and needed help getting to the clubhouse before being taken to a hospital for tests.

“When he and Mabry collided, I knew there was something wrong. I knew there was something more than having the wind knocked out of him,” manager Jim Tracy said Saturday. “He was feeling shooting pain down his lower back and three times he tried to stand up and couldn’t.”

The fractures occurred in an area of the lower back where the muscles attach to the vertebrae, but the 31-year-old Casey isn’t expected to undergo surgery. He was injured in his first game back after missing three starts with a bruised rib.

With Casey out, first baseman-outfielder Craig Wilson is expected to get most of the playing time. A year ago, it was Wilson that missed extensive playing time — about 100 games — with two left hand injuries a year after he led the team by hitting 29 home runs.

“You never want to see someone get hurt like this,” Wilson said. “That’s definitely the last thing you want. One thing is it’s really boring when you’re not playing.”

To replace Casey on the 25-man roster, the Pirates purchased the contract of utilityman Mike Edwards from Triple-A Indianapolis. Edwards was a utility infielder last season for Tracy with the Dodgers and was hitting .316 in the minors.

To make room for Edwards on their 40-man organizational roster, the Pirates moved right-hander Kip Wells from the 15-day to the 60-day disabled list. Wells needed an operation during spring training to repair a blocked artery and isn’t expected to return until midseason.

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“As a general manager, you have to be prepared because these things can happen and do happen to every team every year,” general manager Dave Littlefield said. “But we’re pleased with depth we created in the offseason, and this will give other people some opportunities.”

Casey’s has had two significant injuries in less than two weeks of playing time over the last two seasons.

Casey, then with the Cincinnati Reds, missed the final 16 games of last season with the third concussion of his career, also after being injured in Pittsburgh. He was accidentally hit in the head by Pirates catcher Humberto Cota’s elbow as Cota was running out a ground ball during a Sept. 16 doubleheader.

Casey grew up in suburban Pittsburgh but had played all but six games of his nine-year major league career with the Reds before being traded to the Pirates during the offseason. Casey is in the final season of a contract that is paying him $8.5 million this season.

Casey was off to a good start on a team that’s been playing poorly, hitting .312 with two homers and five RBIs in nine Pirates games.

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