Josef Martinez out approximately 6-8 weeks after knee procedure

Atlanta United on Friday announced that Josef Martinez will miss “approximately” next 6 to 8 weeks of the MLS season after undergoing a procedure on his right knee on Wednesday.

Martinez had originally travelled to UPMC Medical Center in Pittsburgh earlier in the week to get his knee evaluated after experiencing what the club called “recent discomfort”. After further evaluation, it was determined that he needed arthroscopic surgery to clean it out.

Martinez is, of course, coming off a torn ACL suffered in the first match of the 2020 MLS season. He returned on April 6, 2021, as a substitute in Atlanta’s Concacaf Champions League first-round match that year. Early on in the 2022 campaign, it’s been clear that the prolific striker just hasn’t been the same, but that hope is that he can get back to some semblance of normal when he returns. In his absence, the club will lean on veteran Dom Dwyer up top, with Jackson Conway and Chivas loanee Ronaldo Cisneros also in the mix.

Atlanta United travel to Charlotte FC on Sunday. Match time is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. on ABC.