Hector Jimenez’s strong run of form in 2022 came to a crashing halt against Houston at Q2 Stadium on Tuesday night. The Austin FC right back went down in a heap after 22 minutes in the match due to a non-contact injury, and is now expected to miss at least six to eight weeks, according to Josh Wolff.

The official diagnosis, posted in Saturday’s match notes ahead of facing FC Dallas, is a left groin injury. With games coming thick and fast this summer, the best-case scenario appears to be an August 26 return against Los Angeles FC at Q2 Stadium. Wolff continually tells the media (and we’re passing it along) that players respond to treatment differently, so the timetable for Hector’s return could change.

Wolff will likely start Nick Lima in the right back position in his place. At the midweek press conference, he went so far as to say that Owen Wolff and Jared Stroud could be an option in a pinch. Given that Jimenez and Lima have rotated heavily this season, he may truly opt for Wolff or Stroud if he wants to limit Lima from a full 90 every match.

Hector Jimenez has been solid this year, playing in 12 of 20 games, with seven starts. In his 535 minutes on the pitch, he’s tallied these stats to date as a defender:

If you purchase through our links, we earn a commission that will support content like this that we create on the site.