Crew striker Cucho Hernandez to be out 'a few weeks' with knee injury
After missing Saturday's game with what the team described as knee pain, Crew striker Cucho Hernandez announced on social media Tuesday evening that he's going to miss "a few weeks" of action with a knee injury.
I will be out of competition for a few weeks due to a knee injury. See you soon.
Estaré unas semanas fuera de competición por una lesión en mi rodilla. Nos vemos pronto. pic.twitter.com/N2HLDjhESr— Juan C. Hernández (@CuchoHernandez) March 21, 2023
Hernandez did not appear on the team's injury report prior to the game against the New York Red Bulls, but he was a late scratch from the lineup with knee soreness that developed late in the week. Crew coach Wilfried Nancy clarified the timeline Wednesday; Hernandez will miss approximately three to five weeks, but it could be longer as the Crew take a cautious approach with their standout striker.
"We’re going to have to be cautious with that because if he’s coming back too early, he could go back again," Nancy said. "For the moment, this is not something bad. We are happy for that. But this is an injury in the knee. For the moment, everything is OK, in terms of everything that he has to do to come back. In my mind, we’ll see. I don’t want to rush."
Hernandez's absence is a blow to an attack that has struggled to consistently find the back of the net through the Crew's first four games. When he joined the Crew last summer, Hernandez scored eight goals in his first eight games. Though he's scored just one goal in his 12 games since then, he is the focal point of the Crew's offense and has played a role in two of the five goals the Crew have scored this season.
Hernandez is the most recent — and by far the most significant — player to be added to a growing list of Crew injuries. Earlier Tuesday, the Crew announced that forward Kevin Molino would miss six to eight weeks after undergoing surgery on his knee. Center back Josh Williams is out with an ankle injury; there is currently no timeline for his return. Midfielder Luis Diaz, who has not been on the bench for the last two games, was seen working with the Crew's trainers off to the side at training on Wednesday.
Striker Christian Ramirez, who injured the bottom of his foot during the preseason, has been working his way back to game fitness and played 45 minutes in a preseason game with Crew 2 on Sunday. Nancy expects Ramirez to play approximately 45 minutes, if not more, for the Crew on Saturday against Atlanta United, in what will be Ramirez's first game with the Crew since signing in January.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Crew striker Cucho Hernandez out several weeks with knee injury
