Padres place INF Villanueva on DL

The San Diego Padres placed infielder Christian Villanueva on the 10-day disabled list Thursday because of a fractured right middle finger.

Villanueva was injured Tuesday and underwent X-rays on Wednesday. He is expected to miss at least three to four weeks with the possibility that the injury will be season-ending.

The Padres recalled infielder Carlos Asuaje from Triple-A El Paso in a corresponding move.

Villanueva, who was playing second base, suffered the injury while trying to field a grounder hit by Colorado's Ian Desmond. The ball smacked his right hand and the finger swelled overnight, leading to the X-rays.

"Let's hope that the rehab goes well and things progress pretty well, so I can get back out there and finish strong," Villanueva told reporters. "... It's definitely frustrating. I feel like I'd gotten my rhythm and was playing the way I wanted to play."

The 27-year-old rookie has belted a team-best 20 homers while batting .236 with 46 RBIs in 110 games.

Padres manager Andy Green isn't counting on seeing Villanueva in the lineup against this season.

"I don't see guys coming back from fractures in three weeks very often," Green said. "But that's the number I get at the beginning. My guess is it's going to take longer than that. If he can make it back by the end of the year, that'd be great."

Asuaje is batting .199 with two homers and 19 RBIs in 75 games for the Padres.

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