Tobin Heath will not be making her season debut for the Portland Thorns any time soon.

Heath, who has missed the entire season with a back injury, appeared to be on the verge of returning to play just a few weeks ago, but Thorns coach Mark Parsons announced Tuesday that the club had made the decision to take a step back with Heath's rehabilitation.

Parsons said there was no timeline for Heath's return to the field at this point.

"The decision has been made to err on the side of caution and basically extend the recovery time for Tobin to make sure that this gets fixed and solved 100 percent," Parsons said. "She won't play this weekend and right now we don't have a timeline on it. We're focused on making sure she's back for playoffs."

Parsons said that the Thorns have to prioritize Heath's long-term health and that was a major consideration in their decision to take a step back with her rehab.

Heath was Portland's best player in 2016. She led the NWSL with 10 assists and was a finalist for the NWSL MVP Award last season. She was also named U.S. Soccer's Female Player of the Year in 2016.

"There's no reason to take any risk here," Parsons said. "Her long-term health with us and the national team is the priority."

Along with Heath, Katherine Reynolds (left groin strain), Mana Shim (left foot sprain) and Amandine Henry (thigh tweak) are dealing with injuries.

Henry did not train Tuesday after tweaking her thigh against Sky Blue on June 3, but Parsons said that Henry should be available for Saturday's home game against Sky Blue.

Shim and Reynolds did not train Tuesday as well. Parsons said the two players are still a "couple of weeks" away from returning to play.

-- Jamie Goldberg | jgoldberg@oregonian.com

503-853-3761 | @jamiebgoldberg