49ers' Elijah Mitchell's MRI on Knee Injury Showed 'Irritation,' Kyle Shanahan Says

San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters Wednesday that running back Elijah Mitchell underwent an MRI on his knee that came back clean, though the running back is dealing with an "irritation."

Mitchell was already in the concussion protocol and did not practice Wednesday.

Mitchell, 23, has been excellent for the Niners this season when healthy, rushing for 759 yards and five scores in nine games while adding 17 receptions for 126 yards.

With Raheem Mostert out for the season with a knee injury, the emergence of Mitchell—a sixth-round pick out of Louisiana in the 2021 draft—has been crucial for San Francisco.

But injuries have factored into his season. A shoulder injury earlier in the year cost him two games, while a finger injury kept him out of a November matchup versus the Jacksonville Jaguars.

If he's unable to play Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals, JaMycal Hasty would likely handle the starting backfield duties, with Jeff Wilson Jr., Trey Sermon and Trenton Cannon also dealing with injuries.

"He got a lot better this year. Had a heck of a camp," Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters regarding Hasty. "When Raheem (Mostert) went down, he solidified himself as a third-down back, then had a high ankle sprain, then got another one. Last week was his first practice back. Hopefully he'll continue to get healthier."