The Ravens placed star tight end Mark Andrews on injured reserve Saturday, likely sidelining him for the remainder of the regular season as he recovers from ankle surgery.

Andrews left the Ravens’ Nov. 16 win over the Cincinnati Bengals with what was feared to be a season-ending ankle injury. But, after Andrews underwent a successful operation Tuesday, coach John Harbaugh maintained that he has an “outside chance” of returning this season. Harbaugh on Monday declined to speculate on a timetable.

“It was all positive,” Harbaugh said Wednesday, adding that Dr. Robert Anderson, a renowned foot and ankle specialist based in Charlotte, North Carolina, told team officials “everything went really well. We’ll just see where it goes from here.”

Andrews is second on the team in catches (45) and receiving yards (544) and has long been quarterback Lamar Jackson’s top red-zone target, with a team-high six touchdown catches this season. He’s also the Ravens’ most reliable blocker at the position. His IR designation means he’ll miss at least four games.

With Andrews sidelined, second-year tight ends Isaiah Likely and Charlie Kolar will take on bigger roles in coordinator Todd Monken’s offense. Their first test comes Sunday night against the Los Angeles Chargers.

“Really, I’ve just been trying to major in on the little details, just still understanding that I have a role and just understand that what Lamar needs me to do in terms of if I have to speed up this route, if he wants me to block differently on the edge for him because … I’m not going to lie, me and Mark do things different in our own ways,” Likely said Wednesday. “That’s what makes us human, but just still trying to incorporate and blend with the offense.”

The Ravens also elevated inside linebacker Josh Ross and defensive back Andrew Adams from the practice squad for Sunday’s game. Ross made his season debut against Cincinnati, while Adams has yet to appear in a game this season. The team will be without rookie inside linebacker Trenton Simpson (concussion) and likely inside linebacker Malik Harrison (groin).

Note: Outside linebacker Odafe Oweh was fined $10,927 for unnecessary roughness on a first-quarter tackle of Bengals tight end Tanner Hudson, whom he brought down by the face mask. He was also penalized on the play. Bengals linebacker Logan Wilson, however, was not fined for any of his hits that left a few Ravens players banged up, including his hip-drop tackle on Andrews and a sideline takedown on Jackson.

jonas.shaffer@thebaltimorebanner.com