Caitlin Clark injury update: Stephanie White says 'hope' remains for regular season return

Indiana Fever coach Stephanie White remains hopeful that Caitlin Clark can return from injury this regular season. However, that is looking less and less likely as the days go by.

Clark has still not played since July 15, missing 18 consecutive contests as she recovers from a right groin injury. She is expected to miss her 19th in a row when the Fever take on the Phoenix Mercury on Tuesday evening.

White said Tuesday afternoon that Clark has still not practiced with contact. She did, however, get some work in with the second team during a 5-on-0 drill on Tuesday morning.

Given where Clark is at in her recovery, a lot would need to change over the course of the next week for her to return this regular season. However, White wasn’t willing to rule out that possibility just yet.

“That’s the hope,” she said. “She’s working as hard as she can to make sure that she is coming back or is capable of coming back. I think the long term viewpoint of her health and wellness is the most important thing.”

After Tuesday night’s game, Indiana will have only three games remaining on their regular season schedule. The final game is scheduled for exactly one week out on Sept. 9 against the Minnesota Lynx.

Even if Caitlin Clark can’t get back from injury by the end of the regular season, perhaps she could return for the Fever’s playoff run. Indiana (21-19) currently sits in a tie for seventh place in the WNBA standings and is 1.5 games ahead of the ninth-place Los Angeles Sparks.

However, Clark playing her first game back in the playoffs certainly wouldn’t be the ideal situation. The team would presumably like to get her a couple games in before the postseason to shake off any rust and get back in a rhythm.

Clark has missed 27 of the Fever’s 40 games so far this season. It’s been a difficult adustment sitting on the bench for Clark, who never missed a game during her college career of her rookie WNBA season in 2024. She was averaging 16.5 points, 8.8 assists, 5.0 rebounds and 1.6 steals this year prior to her injury.

We’ll have to await further updates on Clark’s status through the next week to find out whether a return in the regular season is an actual possibility. For now, the Fever will have to get ready for at least one more game without her as they tip off against the Mercury at 10 p.m. ET on Tuesday.