The Indiana Fever are riding a two-game win streak after defeating the Las Vegas Aces and Chicago Sky, but the Fever will face a major test on Wednesday against the Phoenix Mercury without All-Star guard Caitlin Clark.
Clark has been ruled out of Wednesday’s contest against the Mercury, marking the fifth consecutive game she’s missed due to a right groin injury suffered in the Fever’s win over the Connecticut Sun on July 15. Clark’s medical evaluations confirmed there’s ‘no additional injuries or damage,’ but the Fever said they will be cautious with Clark to ensure she’s ready to go later in the season and in the playoffs.
There’s no timetable for her return. Here’s everything you need to know about Clark’s injury status:
Is Caitlin Clark playing today? Injury status for Fever-Mercury
No. Clark was ruled out of the Fever’s matchup against the Mercury with a right groin injury.
How many games has Caitlin Clark missed this season?
The injury bug has been Clark’s biggest nemesis this season, forcing her to miss 13 of the Fever’s 26 games in her sophomore campaign, a career-high for Clark. The Fever (14-12) have gone 6-7 this season without the 2024 Rookie of the Year, but remain in playoff contention in sixth place in the standings.
Wednesday will mark the 14th regular-season game Clark has missed this season due to injury. Clark was previously sidelined five games due to a left quad injury and four games with a left groin injury. 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.
How was Caitlin Clark injured?
Clark suffered the 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 to a stanchion, which she headbutted. She did not return to the game.
The injury happened days before the Fever were set to host the 2025 WNBA All-Star weekend in Indianapolis. Clark was voted a team captain and drafted her own team, but she ultimately pulled out of the All-Star Game and 3-point contest due to injuries, stating, ‘I have to rest my body.’
When will Caitlin Clark play again?
It’s not clear when Clark will make her return, but Fever head coach Stephanie White said the WNBA’s rigorous schedule is not helping the timeline.
‘I always think the WNBA season is like this sprint marathon,’ White said on Sunday. ‘You see more injuries when you don’t have a chance to recover, but it’s not like individual teams are the only ones that deal with it. This is a league-wide, collective issue. The NBA has a similar cadence, but they’ve got 30 teams and there’s not quite as much crisscrossing time zones and crisscrossing the country. So, it’s the challenge of the footprint of our schedule.’
The Fever start a four-game road trip on Friday and will travel to Dallas (Aug. 1), Seattle (Aug. 3), Los Angeles (Aug. 5) and Phoenix (Aug. 7) in the span of a week.
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 (9.4).
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