A Cardinals team built for offense will now search internally — and perhaps outside the organization — to compensate for the loss of first baseman and three-time National League MVP Albert Pujols after a follow-up examination Monday discovered a minor fracture near his left wrist.

One day after the club voiced cautious optimism that Pujols had escaped serious injury in a fielding collision with Kansas City Royals third baseman Wilson Betemit, a CT scan performed Monday morning found a fracture of the distal tip of the left radius.

The injury requires Pujols to remain in a soft cast for the next four weeks. General manager John Mozeliak acknowledged Monday afternoon that the club would be without Pujols for at least six weeks.

"Six weeks is a long time," manager Tony La Russa said. "The No. 1 priority is to give Albert every bit of the time so when he comes back, he's not being cautious, being pushed, whatever."

The finding was made after hand specialist Dr. David Brown ordered an MRI exam, followed by the scan. The MRI found no ligament or tendon damage around the joint but suggested a fracture that the scan confirmed. Pujols complained of residual elbow and shoulder soreness, but no complications were found in those areas, according to the club.

The club received Monday's bad news only four days after Silver Slugger left fielder and cleanup hitter Matt Holliday exited the disabled list after enduring a moderate quadriceps strain for four weeks.

After two frustrating months to start the season, Pujols had begun to approach his prodigious career form. He drilled his 17th home run before being injured in Sunday's game and was batting .343 with nine home runs and 17 runs batted in since May 30. He is hitting .279 with 17 home runs, 52 runs and 45 RBIs for the season. Despite his sluggish start, Pujols still ranks among the top 10 in the National League in runs, RBIs, total bases, home runs per at-bat and at-bats per strikeout.

Mozeliak and La Russa learned the extent of Pujols' injury while playing in La Russa's annual golf benefit at Glen Echo Country Club.

The team's head athletic trainer, Greg Hauck, notified Mozeliak shortly after 11 a.m. A reporter was the first to inform La Russa, about an hour later.

Mozeliak described the fracture as "mild" during a news conference held at the club Monday afternoon. What the team initially termed a forearm fracture was later amended to a wrist because it involves the tip of the radius bone.

Wrist injuries raise red flags when associated with hitters. But Mozeliak suggested that Pujols' break should not carry long-term implications because it doesn't involve the smaller bones associated with the joint.

"All the medical people feel this shouldn't be a problem," he said.

Monday's findings came as a surprise, according to Mozeliak, because a fluoroscope and an X-ray failed to discover any break Sunday night.

"I was optimistic that we were going to get better news today. I really was," Mozeliak said.

After Monday morning's exam, Pujols attended a fishing camp sponsored by his Pujols Family Foundation for children with Down syndrome. He could not be reached to comment.

Pujols' extended absence causes a tectonic shift in a lineup accustomed to him as its No. 3 hitter. He has spent time on the disabled list only twice in 10 previous seasons — for a strained right side in 2006 and a left calf strain in 2008.

Mozeliak described the club's short-term approach as "circle the wagons and prepare for what tomorrow is going to look like."

Pujols' injury forces the Cardinals to use the disabled list for a 14th time this season, once more than all of last year. Pujols, Holliday and third baseman David Freese have been available at the same time this season for only 20 games. Freese, disabled since May 2 with a fractured left hand, begins a rehab assignment with Class AAA Memphis tonight in Iowa and hopes to rejoin the club for next week's road trip to Baltimore and Tampa Bay. Infielder Nick Punto likewise began a rehab stint with Class AA Springfield Monday night.

"The reality is that's the way it happened," La Russa said. "The games count. It's the same process we've been going through. There's nobody there to wave a magic wand, or a witch's wand, to make it go away."

The club just came off a 2-7 road trip that included Holliday only for last Thursday's finale against the Washington Nationals.

"It's not good," conceded right fielder Lance Berkman, the most likely player to take Pujols' spot at first base. "As with Matt, it's impossible to replace a guy like Albert. You just do the best you can while he's out."

The Cardinals also remain without backup catcher Gerald Laird and outfielder-second baseman Allen Craig. Craig, who might have been an option at first base, hit the disabled list after a follow-up exam last week disclosed a fractured right patella. He is not expected to return for another three to four weeks, Mozeliak said Monday.

"It's not a matter of fairness or unfairness," Berkman said. "We're fortunate to have the personnel to weather some of these storms. I believe losing a player like Holliday or Albert would sink the chances of just about any team in the National League. We have a very well-rounded, solid group. We're as well-equipped to handle this situation as anybody."

The organization must now decide whether that is enough. Previously thought to be predisposed to fortify the club with pitching, Mozeliak acknowledged that he might now have to entertain offensive upgrades at positions other than outfield or first base to compensate for Pujols' loss.

"I don't know if we're in a position yet to determine if we go down that path," Mozeliak said. "But one of the things we tried to do was score runs this year. Losing your No. 3 hitter isn't going to help. We've had creative ways of scoring runs. And we'll see. But does it open some potential opportunities out there (that) maybe you wouldn't have explored 48 hours ago? Yeah."

Said La Russa: "I'm confident we're going to keep looking — we've already been looking at ways to improve ourselves. What we need to do is keep playing."

The New York Mets represent a source of intrigue as they may dangle third baseman David Wright, shortstop Jose Reyes and outfielder Carlos Beltran. Reyes, a pending free agent currently enjoying a sizzling season, would offer a jolt at the top of the lineup while inviting a move of Ryan Theriot to second base. The Cardinals are unlikely to block Freese at third base or complicate their outfield mix, suggesting Reyes is the best fit of the three.

The Cardinals will promote first baseman Mark Hamilton from Memphis before tonight's series opener against the Philadelphia Phillies while weighing how much time to give Berkman at the position. Optioned last Friday, Hamilton has hit only .115 this season in 27 plate appearances in 25 games. Berkman has prospered in right field, a position that he believes takes a lesser toll on his brittle knees.

Berkman said the possibility of a position change "doesn't bother me. It's a different position. Obviously it requires a different skill set. My knees have felt pretty good all year. I'm not that concerned with that kind of thing."