SANTA CLARA — The 49ers will have a few injuries to consider when constructing their initial 53-man roster on Tuesday.
Rookie tight end Cameron Latu sustained the latest injury. Latu, a third-round draft pick, is likely to undergo surgery to repair a damaged meniscus in his knee, 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said Saturday afternoon.
Injury situations involving wide receivers Danny Gray, Ray-Ray McCloud and Chris Conley, as well as kickers Jake Moody and Zane Gonzalez, also figure to impact the team’s roster decisions.
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“It all plays into each other,” Shanahan said on a conference call with Bay Area reporters. “We’re not ready to decide, yet, but it all plays into the 53.
“We know the positions we want. We know the numbers that we need. We have to see who’s available. Some of these guys who are hurt, like Ray-Ray and Danny Gray, now Cam, we’re just going to have to see how long it is and whether to think about IR or whatever it is for the 53.”
Moody’s status for the 49ers’ season opener on Sunday, Sept. 10, at the Pittsburgh Steelers remains questionable. He sustained a quadriceps strain in practice this week.
Gonzalez was scratched from Friday night’s preseason finale due to a calf strain in pregame warmups. Gonzalez is expected to miss “a few weeks,” Shanahan said.
San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers have lined up workouts with kickers in the event Moody is not ready to face the Steelers.
“I’ve never been in this situation before where we have two really good kickers in our camp and a few days before the final 53, both kickers aren’t available at this time,” Shanahan said. “These next couple days are important just for us to see how rehab is going and try to guess where it’s going to be two weeks from now when we kick off.”
Here’s a rundown of the 49ers’ other injury situations:
— Conley sustained a shoulder sprain Friday nigh and is listed as “day to day.”
— Safety Talanoa Hufanga missed the past four days with a Baker cyst, a fluid-filled growth behind the knee. Hufanga is expected to be ready to return to action soon, Shanahan said.
— Running back Jordan Mason is “day to day” with a foot sprain.
— Running back Elijah Mitchell was held out of Friday’s game with a tight adductor. Shanahan said the 49ers did not want to push and run the risk of a major setback.
— Safety Tayler Hawkins sustained a hand fracture and will require surgery this week.
— Cornerback A.J. Parker pulled his hamstring and is expected to be out “a few weeks.”