Ethan Lege, arguably Ole Miss baseball's best player through 44 games this season, has a fractured thumb, Rebels coach Mike Bianco said Friday.

Lege didn't play in the Rebels' 11-7 road victory over Auburn that opened a three-game series, and he won't suit up on Saturday or Sunday, either.

But Bianco left the door open for Lege to return this season.

"He's a tough kid, he wants to play," Bianco said. "It's too soon from the injury. The hand's swollen, the thumb's still really swollen. The hope is once the swelling goes down he might be able to swing with some type of splint or brace on there."

Bianco said Ole Miss has received feedback from doctors that indicates Lege can't make the fracture worse by playing through it. Once the swelling dies down, it will be a matter of pain tolerance.

Lege attempted to take batting practice using the splint in the buildup to Friday's game before the Rebels decided to leave him off their 27-man roster for the weekend.

"He's just not going to be able to do it this weekend," Bianco said.

Lege suffered the injury in a loss to Mississippi State on Wednesday, when he was hit by a pitch. He stayed in the game to run the bases but was removed thereafter. He's hitting .323 with 13 home runs and a 1.069 OPS this season.

Other members of the Ole Miss lineup stepped forward Friday. Jackson Ross, Will Furniss and Andrew Fischer each went deep in support of starter Riley Maddox, who allowed four runs — three of which were unearned — in five innings.

WEEKEND UPDATES: Ole Miss baseball score updates vs Auburn: Rebels vs. Tigers in SEC series

David Eckert covers Ole Miss for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at deckert@gannett.com or reach him on Twitter @davideckert98.

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This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Ethan Lege injury: Ole Miss baseball star has fractured thumb