ESSENDON defender Mark Baguley has been ruled out for the rest of the season following surgeon's advice that he should not attempt to return in 2016, after knee surgery in early June. 

But the news is better for ruckman Matthew Leuenberger who has been cleared of structural damage to his knee, although the former Lion is unlikely to line up against St Kilda this week.

Baguley went under the knife last month and the Bombers were hopeful he would be fit to return later in the season. However that line of thinking was altered when the defender met with his surgeon this week.

"The advice Mark and the club have got is that he's better off to do a longer term rehab and not try and get up this year," Bombers high performance manager Justin Crow said. 

"Mark has embarked on that journey as we speak." 

Leuenberger copped a knock to his knee in last week's game against West Coast and was severely hampered by the injury.

The Bombers sent the ruckman in for a scan on his knee, which revealed a positive outcome. 

"Fortunately for Matthew, he's been cleared of any major structural damage," Crow said.

"He has some bone bruising in his knee which will put him in doubt for this week. 

"The physios are throwing everything at him at the moment to try and get him up but we’d say the most likely scenario is that Matthew would be pushing for the week afterwards."

The Bombers will also be missing veteran big man Mark Jamar who accepted a one-week suspension for striking.

However the 32-year-old's season is in doubt following a significant hamstring injury he sustained against the Eagles.

"Unfortunately there is some tendon involvement there which means it’s not a '2-3 weeker', it'll be longer than that," Crow said. 

"With the state of the season, we’re going to do everything we can to try and get Mark back to play some more football." 

The injuries to Leuenberger and Jamar places serious strain on the Bombers' ruck department. 

Shaun McKernan, who has been in good form in the VFL over recent weeks, is likely to get a look in but did not play for the club's VFL side last week after experiencing tightness during the week. 

The Bombers took a no-risk policy with the big man but he should be available for selection this week.

Ryan Crowley and Jonathan Simpkin will both miss one more week each as they near full recovery from their hamstring injuries.