Lance undergoes surgery to repair two ankle injuries

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — After suffering a season-ending right ankle injury in Sunday’s 27-7 win over the Seattle Seahawks, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Trey Lance is already on the path to healing.

The Niners and Lance announced Monday that the quarterback had “successful surgery on his injured right ankle.”

The surgery took place Monday morning at Stanford Hospital and, according to a team statement, repaired two ankle injuries to Lance: “a fractured fibula and a ligament rupture”.

Shortly after surgery to fix his broken ankle, Lance took to social media to give some insight into how he feels. In a tweet, Lance posted himself lying in a hospital bed with his right ankle in a cast and a smile on his face.

The caption reads: “I really appreciate all the messages and prayers. The surgery was a success and I am ready to attack this process of rehabilitation. We will never understand why, but I hope it all makes part of his plan. I’ll be back better than ever. This chapter will make the story even bigger!”

Really appreciate all the messages and prayers. The surgery was a success and I am ready to attack this rehabilitation process. We’ll never understand why, but I believe it’s all part of His plan. I will come back better than ever. This chapter will make the story even bigger! pic.twitter.com/l5hoBWsLDw

— Trey Lance (@treylance09) September 19, 2022

This rehabilitation process will take some time and a return this season has been ruled out, but Niners team doctor Dr Tim McAdams said in a statement he was confident Lance would “make a full recovery in time.” for a full return in the 2023 season.” Coach Kyle Shanahan said on Monday he also believes Lance will be back in time for the start of the 2023 season.

In the meantime, some of Lance’s teammates visited him in the hospital on Monday afternoon and Shanahan plans to see him soon. From there, Shanahan said Lance’s rehabilitation plan hasn’t been set yet, but he expects Lance to do it in the Bay Area and be around the team as much as possible. .

“As soon as he can come back here and start rehabilitating, we want him to be a part of everything,” Shanahan said. “Every meeting he can attend, every practice he can attend. I know he won’t be able to do all of that because of all the stuff he has to do in rehab, but especially in those meetings and everything “We don’t plan on Trey being away from us at all. Whenever he doesn’t take care of his ankle, we plan on him being with us.”

At some point this week, Lance will head to injured reserve this week as veteran Jimmy Garoppolo takes over as San Francisco’s starter, with rookie Brock Purdy as a backup. The 49ers will also be looking to add another quarterback to the practice squad at some point.

“We’ll see what happens,” Shanahan said. “We definitely need a guy here for the practice squad because we need a third man in case something happens because he’s one game away from being the substitute and he’s at two games to be our starter.”

Lance’s ankle injury occurred with about 2:20 left in the first quarter on a second zone read run in which Lance decided to keep the ball rather than hand it to receiver Ray-Ray McCloud. Lance burst through the middle, but Seahawks linebacker Cody Barton met him in the hole after a 2-yard gain.

Lance fell awkwardly and his right ankle seemed to bend under him. Lance looked like he was about to get back up as center Jake Brendel offered a helping hand, but Lance quickly got back down. A trolley came out shortly after, and Lance was taken to the locker room with his right leg in a cast after his teammates offered words of encouragement.

Most of the Niners players and coaches who spoke after the Seattle win said they knew Lance’s injury was serious right away.

Those with similar injuries, like defensive end Nick Bosa (who tore his ACL in his left knee in Week 2 of the 2020 season), offered Lance some perspective.

“It’s the worst part of the game,” Bosa said. “It happens instantly and there’s no turning back. Once it happens, you feel like your life is over for a while. … Then it [surgery] begins your way back. It won’t be easy, but he’ll come back and he’ll be fine. It’s just very difficult right now.”

Lance wasn’t the only Niner to hurt his ankle in Sunday’s game. Rookie running back Tyrion Davis-Price suffered a sprained ankle in the game, an injury neither he nor the team knew about until today, but which will keep Davis-Price out of action for several weeks.

Davis-Price’s injury comes a week after the Niners lost starting running back Elijah Mitchell for about two months to a sprained right knee. That means, like at quarterback, the Niners will be in the market for a running back again this week.

Starter Jeff Wilson Jr. and undrafted rookie Jordan Mason are the only two healthy running backs on the roster, though veteran Marlon Mack is a candidate for promotion from the practice squad.