Chicago White Sox second baseman Gordon Beckham will head to the disabled list and is expected to miss about six weeks because of a broken bone in his left wrist.

General manager Rick Hahn said before Chicago's game at Washington on Thursday that an MRI showed Beckham hurt the left hamate bone.

"It's not ideal. I mean, the way I was feeling at the plate and also in the field, there was a lot to be excited about and I think there still is," Beckham said. "It's just going to have to take a little rest time and hopefully get going again in June, or end of May or whenever it is, but just pick up right where I left off."

He'll need surgery, which hasn't been scheduled yet.

Beckham said it's the first time he's broken a bone.

"Obviously it's unfortunate. Gordon had looked pretty good and gotten off to a nice start. I know he was feeling confident. I know he's frustrated," Hahn said. "On the plus side of things, this is something that happens fairly commonly and has a fairly standard recovery process, so once the time elapses he should he should be hopefully able to pick right up where he left off."

The White Sox officially will put Beckham on the DL and announce a corresponding roster move Friday, when the club begins a series at the Cleveland Indians.

Beckham said he first felt pain in the wrist while fouling off a pitch in the second inning of Chicago's 8-7 loss to the Nationals on Tuesday night.

"When I was moving it around the last couple of days, it definitely felt like something I've never felt before — and it was," Beckham said. "I really had a hard time gripping that bat after I came out of the game."

He left in the third inning Tuesday, and the White Sox announced then he had nerve irritation in the wrist.

Beckham sat out Wednesday and was replaced at second base for that game and Thursday's by Jeff Keppinger, with Conor Gillaspie taking Keppinger's spot at third.

Hahn said Keppinger will play second "likely, going forward, fairly regularly."

Beckham is hitting .316 this season.

"He had a great spring and just mentally where he was at going into the year. He was off to a good start, just quality at-bats. Even losing him at second base is a big one for us because he does a lot of good things there," Chicago manager Robin Ventura said. "It's just one of those (where) you've got to pick up the pieces and move on."