The 2025 WNBA regular season is winding down with four games remaining for the Indiana Fever, leaving many fans wondering if All-Star guard Caitlin Clark will return to the lineup before the regular season concludes.
Clark has been ruled out of the Fever’s road matchup against the Phoenix Mercury on Tuesday, marking her 19th consecutive absence with a right groin injury suffered on July 15. Clark has missed 27 of the Fever’s 40 games this season due to injuries, marking the most missed games in her career. The Fever are 13-14 without Clark.
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The Fever have navigated more than just Clark’s absence this season. Indiana lost guards Aari McDonald (broken right foot), Sydney Colson (left ACL tear) and Sophie Cunningham (right MCL tear) to season-ending injuries in August and are now clinging to the eighth and final playoff spot in the WNBA standings.
“Every game is important,” head coach Stephanie White said on Sunday following the Fever’s loss to the Golden State Valkyries. “It’s one game at a time for us.”
Here’s the latest on Clark’s injury status:
Is Caitlin Clark playing vs. Mercury on Tuesday?
Clark (right groin) was ruled out of the Fever’s road matchup against the Mercury on Tuesday. There’s no timetable for her return to the lineup.
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Caitlin Clark injury timeline
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May 24: Clark suffered a left quad injury during the Fever’s 90-88 loss to the New York Liberty, where she recorded a double-double with 18 points and 10 assists. Clark couldn’t pinpoint the specific play that caused her injury, but noted that it happened early in the contest. Clark said, “Adrenaline covers up a lot of stuff when you’re in the heat of battle. After the game, I had some pain, and then we got an MRI, and that kind of gave me the result that I didn’t want to see.” She missed the Fever’s next five games.
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June 24: Clark suffered a left groin injury in the Fever’s 94-86 win over the Seattle Storm, which resulted in Clark missing the team’s next four games. Fever coach Stephanie White said she learned of Clark’s groin injury the following night after Clark alerted team trainers of discomfort.
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July 9: Clark returned to the Fever’s lineup in the Fever’s 80-61 loss to the Golden State Valkyries. Clark was limited to 10 points, shooting 4 of 12 from the field and 2 of 5 from the 3-point line, and had six assists, five rebounds and four turnovers. Following the blowout loss, Clark said it was “going to take me a second to get my wind back. … Just trying to get my legs under me.”
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July 15: Clark suffered a right groin injury in the final minute of the Fever’s 85-77 victory over the Sun at TD Garden in Boston. White later confirmed Clark “felt a little something in her groin.” This marked the last game for which Clark suited up.
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July 18: Clark announced that she would sit out the 2025 WNBA All-Star Game in Indianapolis, where she was named a team captain. Clark was also set to participate in the 3-point contest. She said, “I am incredibly sad and disappointed to say I can’t participate … I have to rest my body.”
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Aug. 7: Clark reportedly suffered a mild bone bruise in her left ankle during an individual workout session in Phoenix, according to The Indianapolis Star, part of the USA TODAY Network.
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Aug. 8: During an appearance on Sue Bird’s podcast, “Bird’s Eye View,” Clark spoke about the frustrations of her injury-filled season: “It’s not like I have a training camp to build up to play in my first game again. It’s like no, you’re tossed into Game 30 — like, ‘Go try to play well.’ It’s hard, it really is.”
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Aug. 10: Fever coach Stephanie White said Clark has progressed in her recovery and has started running full court again, but Clark hasn’t returned to practice just yet: an important step in her ramp-up. “She’s been able to get a little bit more in her full-court running with all of her body weight. … She’s been able to do a little more on the court in terms of how she moves, but not into practice yet,” White said.
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Aug. 20: White confirmed that Clark has not returned to practice yet.
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Aug. 24: Clark participated in a team shootaround and went through some non-contact drills with the second team, marking her first time practicing with the team since suffering a right groin injury on July 15.
Caitlin Clark stats
Clark is averaging 16.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and a career-high 8.8 assists in 13 games this season. Her assists average is the second-highest in the league, behind Phoenix’s Alyssa Thomas (9.2).
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Caitlin Clark injury update: Will Fever guard return vs. Mercury?
