Manager Keith Hill confirmed after Saturday's League One fixture against Oldham Athletic that Ian Henderson missed the game through injury.
He is likely to be side-lined for up to six weeks.
The Gaffer told Dale PlayerHD: “Ian Henderson picked up an injury in training which is a shame because we need all bodies.
“He has been for a scan which has revealed that he’ll be out for between four and six weeks. That’s a concern because Hendo has done a tremendous amount for this football club. We want to get him back up to speed and back onto the training pitch as soon as we can but we can’t rush him because I don’t want a Peter Vincenti type scenario happening.
“It’s up to the other boys to step in, but I think the young brigade are doing quite well and nothing is phasing them in these derby games. These are big games on behalf of the supporters, so there is a lot of responsibility, but when we’ve got people like Steve Davies, Calvin Andrew and Keith Keane out on the pitch, then they’re invaluable players for the kids to learn from.”