A string of injuries has kept Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark sidelined for more than half of the Fever’s games this season, totaling the longest absence of her playing career. That streak is set to get longer.
Clark has been ruled out of the Fever’s road matchup against the Los Angeles Sparks on Tuesday, Aug. 5, marking the eighth consecutive game she’ll miss due to a right groin injury suffered in the Fever’s 85-77 win over the Connecticut Sun on July 15. Tuesday will mark the 17th regular-season game Clark has been sidelined this year.
Fever head coach Stephanie White said Clark’s recovery is ‘going well,’ but admitted that she doesn’t ‘know how far we are’ from Clark’s return. White said the team’s priority is making sure Clark is fully healthy before making her way back to the court to avoid any setbacks that could threaten her postseason availability.
‘For us, it’s just staying the course and making sure we’re really diligent about each step we take and that we don’t have setbacks and that we’re patient,’ White said ahead of the Fever’s 78-74 win over the Seattle Storm on Sunday, Aug. 3, which extended the team’s winning streak to five game. ‘I know she wants to be out here on the floor, and we want her out on the floor, but making sure she’s ready is the most important thing. I still don’t know how far we are. We’re going to take it one step at a time and one day at a time and go from there.’
Here’s everything we know about Clark’s status:
Is Caitlin Clark playing today? Injury status for Fever-Sparks
Clark was ruled out of the Indiana Fever’s matchup against the Sparks in Los Angeles on Tuesday with a right groin injury. There is no timetable for Clark’s return.
The game is scheduled for 10 p.m. ET (7 p.m. PT) and will be televised on CBS Sports Network.
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 16 of the Fever’s 29 games so far this season. Tuesday’s matchup against the Sparks will mark her 17th 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.
The team is 8-5 with Clark in the lineup and 9-7 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 that Clark suited up for.
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.
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).
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.