(Photo by Victor Tan / New Day Review)

ORLANDO, Fla. – Orlando City SC center-back Seb Hines has so far endured a season marred with injuries and surgery. After undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery on his right knee on March 13, Hines injured the same knee in the opening minute of a 1-0 loss to Toronto FC II on June 14.

Fortunately for the Wetherby, England, native, Hines’ injury is a lot less severe than initially perceived. First-team head coach Jason Kreis initially “feared the worst” after having seen the injury.

“Seb…ended up being a lot better than we thought he would be,” Kreis said after training Friday. “He went down very, very awkwardly in that match. We had feared the worst that it would be another knee injury that would keep him out for an extended period of time. But upon evaluation, he actually feels quite good. And so we think we can continue to move forward with his rehabilitation process.”

Hines has spent the 2017 season with the club’s United Soccer League side, Orlando City B. So far, he has started all five of his appearances, tallying 305 minutes. The 29-year-old has yet to make an appearance for the MLS side this season.

In City’s first two Major League Soccer seasons, Hines was a staple on the back-line. In 2015 and 2016 combined, he started 44 of his 49 appearances, scoring four goals on 41 shots (13 on goal) in 4,030 minutes.

The Lions return to MLS action on Saturday when they host the Montreal Impact at 7:30 p.m. Orlando City is coming off a 3-1 loss to Miami FC in the club’s opening match of the 2017 U.S. Open Cup.

For more on Hines and his journey to return to the first team, follow Victor Tan on Twitter at @NDR_VictorTan.