Los Angeles Galaxy midfielder Jonathan dos Santos is set to undergo a hernia operation that will keep him from competing in the upcoming MLS is Back Tournament near Orlando.
The team captain will have what the club termed a "minimally invasive" operation, with the expectation being that he will miss six weeks.
According to the Los Angeles Times, the procedure will be performed Thursday at the Cedars-Sinai Kerlan-Jobe Institute in Santa Monica, Calif.
The Galaxy are due to start group play in the tournament on July 13 against the Portland Timbers. Their group also features Los Angeles FC and the Houston Dynamo.
Dos Santos, a 30-year-old Mexican national team player, didn't play in the Galaxy's season opener, then was subbed off at halftime of the second game, on March 7. The following week, the coronavirus pandemic halted the MLS season.
Perry Kitchen, who manned the defensive midfield role in dos Santos' absence earlier this season, probably will fill in again.
Dos Santos is in his fourth year with the Galaxy, and he has five goals and 12 assists in 65 games (63 starts) for the team. Last season, dos Santos notched two goals and three assists in 29 games, all starts, then added a goal in two postseason appearances.
He made the MLS All-Star team in 2018 and 2019.
In 47 career appearances for the Mexican national team, dos Santos has three goals, including the lone tally in his side's 1-0 victory over the United States in the 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup final at Chicago.
It has also been reported that fellow Mexican star Carlos Vela is likely to skip the MLS Is Back Tournament for personal reasons.
