ST. LOUIS -- The Pirates learned yesterday they will be without catcher Ryan Doumit "at least four weeks," manager John Russell said, because of his fractured left thumb.

Doumit had the thumb examined yesterday morning in Pittsburgh by Dr. Mark Baratz, the team's hand specialist at Allegheny General Hospital, and the fracture at the tip was confirmed. But there was no damage to the nearby joint, which was the greater concern entering the examination. If there had been, Doumit would have missed half the season.

As it is, no surgery is needed. He was fitted with a minor wrap and will need roughly a month for the injury to fully heal. It will be decided, as that four-week point approaches, when he can begin a minor league rehabilitation stint.

"Right now, we don't know what can happen within those four weeks," he said.

Doumit was placed on the 15-day disabled list, and veteran catcher Raul Chavez was promoted from Class AAA Indianapolis to take his place. Ronny Paulino, the starting catcher the past two seasons, will reclaim that role in Doumit's absence.

"We'll miss Ryan terribly," Russell said. "But we've got the people to keep winning. Ronny's been there, and he's done well with everything we've asked. We've talked a lot the past couple weeks about staying ready, and I've been very happy with him."

Doumit's thumb was fractured while trying to catch an errant Phil Dumatrait fastball Tuesday night.

The Pirates completed a trade with Tampa Bay to keep reliever Evan Meek, their Rule 5 draft pick who was removed from the 40-man roster 11 days ago. The Pirates will send the Rays an undisclosed amount of cash. Meek can be sent outright to the minors because he has cleared waivers.

Management has not decided where to assign Meek, whose highest level before Rule 5 had been Class AA.

"Our singular focus for Evan is to put a comprehensive plan in place and put him in the best position to execute that plan," general manager Neal Huntington said.

Had the Rays decided they wanted Meek instead of the cash, they needed only to pay $25,000, and they would not have been required to add him to their 40-man roster.

Shortstop Jack Wilson will join Indianapolis today, rather than Class AA Altoona, because the infield at Blair County Ballpark failed to drain properly after steady rain there this week.

Wilson will play four games with Indianapolis, at home today and tomorrow, then two in Louisville, Ky., before his condition is reevaluated Monday.

Chavez, 35, is a .212 batter in 169 major league games, most recently appearing in 16 for the Baltimore Orioles in 2006. He has a solid defensive reputation, including what used to be one of the strongest arms of any catcher in professional baseball but now is seen as above-average.

"I liked what I saw in the spring," Russell said. "He's a good receiver, has a good arm, and the reports are that he was hitting pretty well at Indy."

Chavez batted .306 with three home runs and 13 RBIs in 26 games for Indianapolis.

"I'm really happy to be here," Chavez said. "I worked hard."

• Russell has no plan to replace Doumit as a cleanup hitter with just one player. Jason Bay was in that spot last night, but Adam LaRoche and Xavier Nady could be there, too, Russell said.

• St. Louis Blues defenseman Barret Jackman, like Bay a native of Trail, British Columbia, was the Pirates' guest at batting practice.

• Because Chavez had to be added to the 40-man roster, it now is full. Just last week, it was at 37.