Wednesday marked three weeks since the Magic announced Franz Wagner would be out indefinitely and he’d be re-evaluated at the end of that time frame as he continued to manage the extended rehab of a left high ankle sprain.

When Orlando announced Tuesday that the German forward was “progressing” and that his “return will continue to depend on how he responds to rehab,” the team didn’t provide a new timeline for Wagner’s potential return or another re-evaluation period.

Exact timing around Wagner’s rehab is important, because after Wednesday’s matchup between the Magic and Cavaliers on ESPN, there are only 18 games remaining in the regular season.

Simply put, time is running out for Wagner to return to action ahead of the NBA postseason.

“Without going into everything, sometimes when you put a timeline on a guy it can hinder what they’re doing or … so, we try to just keep it to where we can get to how they respond to what’s happening with them,” Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said when asked by the Sentinel about a lack of a timeline. “I think that’s the most important piece because everybody’s body is different.

“So, when they pull up one day, it might hurt more than the day before and if we put a timeline on it, then it extends the timeline,” he added. “Just being able to see how they respond to treatment each and every single day is the most important piece to see how they feel, and what imaging or whatever test was putting on them, how they respond to that.”

To be sure, Wagner is, indeed, progressing.

For the first time since the NBA All-Star break, the 6-foot-10 forward was seen starting an on-court workout with some light shooting near the paint as the media-viewing session of Wednesday’s shootaround was ending.

Mosley said Wagner has started on-court work but it’s included no physical contact to this point yet. Typically, full contact is the precursor to an injured player’s return to game action.

Available for only 28 games so far this season, Wagner has averaged 21.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.1 steals in 31.8 minutes per night.

While the team wants Wagner back sooner rather than later, it also won’t look to rush the rehab process. Twice already Wagner has tried to return since suffering the injury Dec. 7 at New York, and both times he’s needed additional time to recover.

All of it has led to him missing a total of 36 games and being available just four times in the past 40 contests, including Wednesday.

“You know how I feel about it, you know how we feel as organization — their careers are a lot more important than this one moment,” Mosley said. “To make sure everything is right is the best thing to do. Because we’re thinking longevity more than we’re thinking just this quick moment.

“Yes we’d love to have him back as soon as possible but we’re not going to do it with the risk of somebody’s career or to what they’re going through overall personally than anything,” he added. “I think that’s more important.”

Elsewhere on the court, Magic forward Jonathan Isaac (left knee strain) was spotted going through various shooting drills.

Both he and rookie guard Jase Richardson (low back strain) were able to go through shootaround, Mosley said, and they were upgraded to available for Wednesday’s game against the Cavaliers.

As Wagner continues his rehab, the Magic have a quick turnaround when they host the Wizards on the second night of a back-to-back Thursday at Kia Center.

Jason Beede can be reached at jbeede@orlandosentinel.com

Up next …

Magic vs. Wizards

When: 7 p.m., Thursday, Kia Center

TV: FanDuel Sports Network Florida