Astros third baseman Ty Wigginton will be activated from the disabled list Friday after missing 23 games with a broken bone near the tip of his left thumb. He has played in only six games this year.
"I can't wait," he said. "Obviously, I've always taken a lot of pride in being on the field and being ready to play. We had this come up, but it's finally over and I want to get back out there and help the squad." Wigginton played three rehab games at Class AAA Round Rock this week, going 1-for-9 with a triple, two walks and one RBI. He hit .250 with a homer in 20 at-bats for the Astros the first week of the season.
Wigginton said he got at least three or four groundballs hit his way each game in Round Rock and didn't have any problems with the thumb. Now he's eager to help the team he watched struggle through a 13-16 April.
"That's the hardest part, as far as not getting off to the start we wanted to," Wigginton said. "It's just a matter of sometimes you take a step back and worry about small things, and when you worry about small things, some good things are going to happen in the end.
"I'm pretty confident this team is going to get it turned around. There's no need for hitting the panic button."
Astros general manager Ed Wade, who was in Round Rock this week and watched Wigginton play, believes the addition of Wigginton will give the Astros some added punch in the bottom half of the batting order.
"It really makes us tough one through eight," he said. "He hit (22) home runs last year, and if we can afford to hit him down the order with that power potential, I just think it makes us a very tough lineup to pitch against."
The club sent pitcher Jack Cassel to Round Rock following Wednesday's loss to Arizona, opening up a spot for Wigginton.
