Rokas Pukstas will have to continue waiting for his first Middlesbrough start. Pukstas is expected to miss the remainder of October’s schedule due to a recent hamstring injury, Middlesbrough manager Kim Hellberg confirmed Monday in his prematch press conference. The American midfielder made the move to England from Croatian side Hajduk Split last summer but has struggled to find consistent playing time right away.Pukstas has not featured since September 8, which marked the second of back-to-back substitute cameos. The 22-year-old logged six minutes in league play against QPR before also playing six minutes again in a 3-0 EFL Cup loss to Crystal Palace. Hellberg did not give an exact date for Pukstas’ return to action but is not planning to have him available for at least the next few weeks. “I think it will be a while, I don’t count on him playing this month,” Hellberg said ahead of Middlesbrough’s EFL Championship trip to Stoke City on Tuesday. Pukstas enjoyed a positive start to the season with Hajduk Split, scoring four goals and adding one assist in 10 appearances before joining Middlesbrough. The Oklahoma native scored 28 goals in 142 appearances in Croatia, helping Hajduk Split qualify for Europe this summer for the first time in 16 years.Middlesbrough sits in second place following their 1-0 win over Wolves on Saturday and will visit the fourth-place Potters as league play continues. The Teesside club will later face Cardiff City (Oct. 17), Bolton Wanderers (Oct. 23), and Charlton Athletic (Oct. 31) to close their October schedule.