San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan confirmed reports that running back Christian McCaffrey traveled to Germany over the weekend to consult a specialist regarding the Achilles tendinitis that has sidelined him at the start of the season.
"I'm not sure what doctor it is," Shanahan told reporters during a Monday conference call. "I know he's going to see a specialist that I believe can help him with his Achilles process. I think he's doing that over these next few days, and hopefully, it'll help."
The 49ers placed McCaffrey on injured reserve on September 14, making Week 6 against the Seattle Seahawks the earliest he can return to play.
Injuries have plagued the 49ers this season. The team played without McCaffrey, wide receiver Deebo Samuel, and tight end George Kittle in Sunday's loss to the Los Angeles Rams. Shanahan also announced that defensive tackle Javon Hargrave will likely miss the rest of the season due to a partially torn triceps.
"Injuries are always a part of [the game]," Shanahan said. "We've had to deal with it a number of years, sometimes more than others. I think last year, just mainly with some of our main guys, we were very fortunate they didn't miss too many games.
"This year, it's been totally different to start out, so that's been real tough. I'd like to try to stay positive with it, that all of them, eventually, are going to come back, but that probably changed with Hargrave today. That was a tough pill to swallow there. But, yeah, we definitely haven't had the luck that we had last year."