All eyes are on Caitlin Clark’s injury status after the Indiana Fever’s depth chart took yet another hit, but the All-Star won’t be making her highly anticipated return on the court on Tuesday, Aug. 12 against the Dallas Wings.
Fever point guards Sydney Colson (left ACL tear) and Aari McDonald (broken right foot) were both ruled out the remainder of the season after sustaining injuries in the Fever’s loss to the Phoenix Mercury on Aug. 7, further depleting Indiana’s depth at the point guard position amid Clark’s extended absence.
Clark last suited up for the Fever on July 15, when she suffered a right groin injury in Indiana’s 85-77 win over the Connecticut Sun. She subsequently missed 10 games, which will grow after Clark was ruled out of the Fever’s matchup against the Dallas Wings on Tuesday, marking her 11th consecutive missed game.
Head coach Stephanie White said that, although Clark has progressed in her recovery and has started running full court again, she 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,’ White said on Monday, Aug. 11. ‘She’s been able to do a little more on the court in terms of how she moves, but not into practice yet.’
Here’s the latest on Clark’s injury and her expected return to the court:
Is Caitlin Clark playing Tuesday? Injury status for Fever-Wings
Clark was ruled out of the Indiana Fever’s matchup against the Wings in Indianapolis on Tuesday with a right groin injury. There is no timetable for Clark’s return.
The game is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET (4:30 p.m. PT) and will be televised on ESPN.
How was Caitlin Clark injured?
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 on July 15. With 39.1 seconds remaining in the contest, Clark completed a bounce pass to Kelsey Mitchell to put the Fever up 84-75. After the pass, Clark immediately grabbed for her right groin and grimaced as she gingerly walked over and headbutted the stanchion. She did not return to the game.
How many games has Caitlin Clark missed this season?
Clark, who previously missed time due to a left quad injury and a left groin injury, has missed 19 of the Fever’s 32 games so far this season. Tuesday’s matchup against the Sparks will mark her 20th total absence. She also missed the Fever’s Commissioner’s Cup win over the Minnesota Lynx on July 1, in addition to the 2025 WNBA All-Star Game and the 3-point competition held in Indianapolis.
Indiana is 8-5 with Clark in the lineup and 10-9 without her on the floor.
Caitlin Clark injury timeline
- 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.
- June 14: Clark returned to Indiana’s lineup in the Fever’s 102-88 win over the Liberty and dropped 32 points, nine assists and eight rebounds in her first game back.
- 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. Head coach Stephanie White said she learned of Clark’s groin injury the following night after Clark alerted team trainers of discomfort.
- July 1: Clark was ruled out of the Fever’s 2025 Commissioner’s Cup win over the Minnesota Lynx in Minneapolis. That didn’t stop Clark from rightfully celebrating the team’s hardware.
- 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, in addition to 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.’
- 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.
- 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.’
- July 24: The Fever said Clark’s medical evaluations confirmed there’s ‘no additional injuries or damage,’ but the team said it will be cautious with Clark’s rehab and recovery.
- August 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.”
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 (9.0).
The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.
