Reed Baker-Whiting suffers another hamstring injury

Reed Baker-Whiting has suffered another hamstring injury, this time to his right leg. The 19-year-old came into preseason recovering from an calf injury he suffered in the playoffs last year against LAFC, which kept him out of the first preseason game. But just a few minutes into his preseason debut on Friday, Baker-Whiting had to come off with another apparent injury.

Sounders head coach Brian Schmetzer confirmed on Tuesday that Baker-Whiting had suffered a right hamstring injury, which is the opposite leg from his previous injury.

“The kid felt it pop,” Schmetzer told reporters during a press conference ahead of Wednesday’s preseason games against Swedish sides Norrköping and Hammarby. “It’s certainly not something where he’s going to play in the next couple of weeks for sure.”

Although Schmetzer said Baker-Whiting would undergo a MRI once the team returns to Seattle later this week.

This is just the latest of what has been a long string of injury setbacks for a player who has garnered significant interest from European teams and been regularly called up for United States youth national teams. After forcing himself into the discussion as a starter late 2023, Baker-Whiting suffered a hamstring injury that ended up costing him about six months. He was able to return in time to make 31 appearances across all competitions in 2024, but then suffered another injury after playing 96 minutes in the Western Conference semifinals.

Knock-on effects

Depending on the severity of the injury, that could help open the door for someone like Kalani Kossa-Rienzi to get a first-team contract. The 2024 first-round SuperDraft pick has looked strong in his preseason appearances and was highlighted by Schmetzer as someone who has “made a real impact.” Kossa-Rienzi was also among the final first-team cuts last year and followed that up with a goal and six assists in about 2,400 minutes across all competitions for the Sounders and Tacoma Defiance.

Paul Rothrock update

Although the Sounders had hoped to get Paul Rothrock on the field in the previous game, Schmetzer said the midfielder is on schedule to play 30 minutes in one of these games. Rothrock had a breakout 2024 campaign, contributing eight goals and five assists in about 2,100 minutes across all competitions. But his season was cut short when he suffered a quad injury in the first round of the playoffs and had to miss the Sounders’ final two games.