Sources - 49ers' Christian McCaffrey on IR; out next 4 games - ESPN

MINNEAPOLIS — After two games worth of waiting and wondering whether running back Christian McCaffrey would be able to play, the San Francisco 49ers removed any doubt for the next four games on Saturday afternoon.

Sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter that the Niners are placing McCaffrey on injured reserve with calf soreness and Achilles tendinitis. McCaffrey must miss at least the next four games — including Sunday's matchup with the Minnesota Vikings — and is eligible to return for an Oct. 10 meeting with the Seattle Seahawks on «Thursday Night Football,» though that's not a guarantee.

On Friday, San Francisco coach Kyle Shanahan acknowledged for the first time since initially announcing McCaffrey's injury on Aug. 6 that injured reserve was a real possibility. That came after McCaffrey's Achilles did not respond well to limited participation in practice on Thursday.

«Yesterday was his worst day,» Shanahan said. «It's on and off, but with yesterday having the most pain. It's something we're going to be discussing together in the next 24 hours.»

Those discussions ultimately led to Saturday's decision to shut McCaffrey down in hopes that the continued flare-ups in the Achilles will settle down. Shanahan has said the hardest part of McCaffrey's injury has been its unpredictability with him feeling good and practicing some days and then feeling pain on others.

Landing on injured reserve is undoubtedly a disappointment for McCaffrey, the NFL's reigning Offensive Player of the Year. As recently as Wednesday, he said he planned to play against the Vikings, explaining that his mindset every week is that he's going to be ready to go even if he's dealing with an injury.

«I hate not playing,» McCaffrey said Wednesday. «But I look at