New Bath signing Jamie Bhatti has confirmed he has suffered a broken arm with less than a week remaining before the new PREM Rugby season gets underway.
The Scotland prop has returned to The Rec after previously spending the second half of the 2020/21 season with the club, signing a two-year deal with last season's semi-finalists.
As one of only two senior additions made by Johann van Graan this summer, alongside Dan du Preez, Bath supporters will now have to wait to see their new recruit in action.
A loosehead, Bhatti was brought in to fill the void left by Francois van Wyk, offering both valuable experience and additional depth in the front row.
While Thomas du Toit remains the club's first-choice option on the tighthead side, Bhatti's arrival was expected to strengthen an area that has been among Bath's biggest strengths in recent seasons.
The 33-year-old has won more than 30 caps for Scotland and featured at the 2023 Rugby World Cup, making appearances against South Africa and Romania.
However, his return to Bath has suffered an early setback after he injured his arm just 10 minutes into their final pre-season fixture against Glasgow Warriors.
The timing of the injury was particularly unfortunate, with Glasgow being Bhatti's former club.
Despite the setback, the prop managed to see the funny side of the situation, posting a picture of his broken arm scan on Instagram alongside the caption: "Cracking start to the season …."
Bhatti is only expected to be sidelined for a couple of months rather than facing a lengthy absence.
That leaves Beno Obano and Scott Kirk as the club's primary loosehead options ahead of Friday's Gallagher PREM opener away to Harlequins.
It remains unclear whether Bath will return to the transfer market in search of a short-term replacement.
Van Graan could decide to bring in another loosehead to strengthen his options during Bhatti's absence.
