ST KILDA'S Mitchito Owens has received "promising" scan results on his injured shoulder but will need further assessment to determine when he'll be fit to return.

Owens left RSEA Park with his left shoulder in a sling on Saturday afternoon after copping a nasty knock in a marking contest against Port Adelaide.

While scans on Sunday have revealed no serious damage to his shoulder joint, his return to play timeline remains unclear.

"Mitch's shoulder joint is stable, but his AC joint copped a knock in the incident," Saints footy boss Dave Mission said.

"The scans this morning were promising, but we'll seek further advice from specialists to help assess the best course of action from here."

There's bad news, however, for forward Cooper Sharman, who will require surgery on a fractured thumb.

The 24-year-old will go under the knife this week before his return to play timeline will be confirmed.

In positive news for the Saints, Zak Jones and Hunter Clark made successful returns from injury in the VFL on Saturday while Rowan Marshall and Jack Sinclair trained fully as they look to prove their fitness for the round one game against Adelaide.

The Saints have had a horror run of injuries over the summer, with Liam Henry and Max King both under a cloud for round one and Mason Wood joining Sinclair and Marshall in battling to prove his fitness.

Ross Lyon's side will be without draftee Alix Tauru, young gun Mattaes Phillipou and Dougal Howard for a large part of the season, while Paddy Dow's availability is yet to be determined after he suffered a persistent knee infection over the summer break.