Caitlin Clark Injury Timeline: When Will Fever Superstar Return After Getting Banged Up vs. Mercury
Caitlin Clark Injury Timeline: When Fever Superstar Could Return After Getting Banged Up vs. Mercury
Kristen Wong|
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Indiana FeverThe injuries just keep on coming for Fever superstar Caitlin Clark.
After missing most of her 2025 season due to groin and quad injuries, Clark is set to miss her second game this year due to a back issue. Clark suffered the injury during the Fever’s loss to the Mercury on Wednesday night and exited the matchup early. Fever coach Stephanie White announced Clark will sit out of Saturday’s home game against the Sparks as she rests up for the team’s next game, which takes place in a week against the defending champ Aces on July 5.
Clark will now get a much-needed seven-day break to recover from her back injury. Even so, her future availability remains up in the air.
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“No indication,” White said of how long Clark could be out. “Obviously it’s a good time because we have all week next week. So we’ll take this opportunity just to get her treatment, get her healthy, get her back on the floor and see what happens.
“... Again, we want her to be healthy. Physically, mentally, emotionally, all the things. I think it’s important to remember when you’ve gone through injury, the traumatic aspect of injuries, especially that she had last year. It’s ups and downs. ... Making sure that she’s 100% ready to go is the most important thing.”
Caitlin Clark is going to be out on Saturday, Steph White says.
— Chloe Peterson (@chloepeterson67) June 26, 2026
“No indication” on how long she’ll be out, but White says their week off next week is a good time to get her treatment. pic.twitter.com/THPUQfekdv
The Fever’s week-long break is due to a scheduled hiatus for the WNBA Commissioner’s Cup championship.
How Caitlin Clark got injured in Wednesday night’s loss to Mercury
News of Clark’s injury comes days after she was on the receiving end of back-to-back cheap shots by the Mercury on Wednesday. Phoenix forward Alyssa Thomas received a retroactive Flagrant 2 foul and a one-game suspension for pressing her fist to Clark’s throat during one of the physical plays.
On the other play, Clark was shooting a three-pointer and being closely defended by Mercury’s Valeriane Ayayi. As Clark was coming down from her shot, it looked like Ayayi stuck her feet in Clark’s landing space, but there was no flagrant foul called for the seemingly reckless closeout.
Clark ended up leaving the game in the third quarter due to a back injury and did not return; the Mercury went on to win, 111-109.
You can see Clark grimace in visible pain as she fell on her back following Ayayi’s closeout, though it’s more likely it aggravated an existing injury rather than caused a new one.
Caitlin Clark got up grabbing her back after this landing space foul which was not deemed a flagrant for reckless closeout pic.twitter.com/IXF3GWHoys https://t.co/xnUCTgKGl0
— Clark Report (@CClarkReport) June 25, 2026
Clark has been dealing with lingering back issues since the Fever’s season-opener against the Wings, when she left the court a few times to get her back “adjusted” in the locker room. The two-time All-Star was also seen using a heating pad and brace on her back on the sidelines.
Clark missed her first game of the year, the Fever’s 90-73 win over the Fire on May 20, due to a back injury. Since then, she’s occasionally popped up on injury reports but has played in every game. She’s averaging 21.2 points and 8.2 assists across 17 games so far while shooting 34% from beyond the arc, the same clip as that of her ROY-winning campaign in 2024.
Which Fever players will need to step up with Clark out
If Clark has to miss time, the Fever will likely lean on veteran guard Tyasha Harris and standout rookie Raven Johnson to take over primary point guard duties.
Fever star Kelsey Mitchell, who became the franchise’s first-ever million-dollar player this past offseason, will also be expected to bring the ball up the court more often and shoulder some of Clark’s play-making burden.
Fever’s upcoming schedule after Clark injury
Here’s what the Fever’s schedule looks like through mid-July:
- Sparks @ Fever: Saturday, June 26 (Clark ruled out)
- Fever @ Aces: Sunday, July 5
- Fever @ Sparks: Wednesday, July 8
- Fever @ Mercury: Thursday, July 9
- Fever @ Aces: Sunday, July 12
- Valkyries @ Fever: Wednesday, July 15
Following Saturday’s home game against Los Angeles, the Fever face a tough four-game stretch on the road to kick off July, which could spell bad news if Clark is still nursing a sore back. It’d obviously be more ideal for Clark to rest and rehab while at home in Indianapolis, but hopefully she can recover to full strength by the time those games come around.
The Fever dropped to 10-8 following Wednesday’s loss to the Mercury. Even with a mostly health Clark on the floor, they have continually struggled stringing together wins during what was anticipated to be a dominant title-contending campaign in Clark’s third season in the pros.
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Published 20 hours ago | Modified 20 hours ago
KRISTEN WONGKristen Wong is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. She has been a sports journalist since 2020 and has a bachelor’s in English and linguistics from Columbia University. Before joining SI in November 2023, Wong covered four NFL teams as an associate editor with the FanSided NFL network and worked as a staff writer for the brand’s flagship site. She is a lifelong Liverpool fan who enjoys solving crossword puzzles and hanging out at her neighborhood dive bar in NYC.
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Badenoch blasts 'moaning' female Labour MPs over Burnham jobs 'quota'
Kemi Badenoch has told Labour women to earn a job in Andy Burnham's Cabinet instead of demanding they are handed jobs because of their gender.
The Tory leader lashed out today amid reports that female MPs are demanding the de-facto new prime minister introduce a 50:50 gender split 'quota' in his government.
Amid reports that former foreign secretary David Miliband is being lined up to return to the role, possibly with his brother Ed as Chancellor, one female minister also complained that Burnham could not have 'more Milibands than women' in the top posts.
But in a scathing article in the Times today Mrs Badenoch told them to 'stop moaning' and get chosen on merit instead of retreating into 'more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country'.
'There are many, many reasons why you shouldn't have any Milibands in the cabinet,' she said.
'But complaining that the boys haven't given them the right jobs or that the boys are taking all the jobs, just shows that Labour's women still don't get it.'
The idea of quotas was also attacked by Baroness Jacqui Smith, Labour's Skills Minister.
Asked by Times Radio if Mr Burnham should reserve jobs for women, she said: 'No, I think what Andy Burnham should be doing is building the very best team around him to change this country.'
A letter written by the Women's Parliamentary Labour Party has called on Mr Burnham to ensure a 50:50 split between men and women in government jobs
Amid reports that former foreign secretary David Miliband (above, right, in 2010) is being lined up to return to the role, possibly with his brother Ed as Chancellor, one female minister complained that Burnham could not have 'more Milibands than women' in the top posts
But Mrs Badenoch told them to pipe down and get chosen on merit instead of retreating into 'more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country'
A letter written by the Women's Parliamentary Labour Party and seen by the BBC has called on Mr Burnham to ensure a 50:50 split between men and women in government jobs after he succeeds Sir Keir Starmer.
'We are asking you to demonstrate this change from day one and address the toxicity and misogyny within our own party and government,' it said.
Labour has never had a female leader, while the Conservatives have had three, and Mrs Badenoch urged the government to follow its meritocratic example.
'If you run a meritocracy, then you do not have to worry about jobs for the boys,' she wrote.
'Every woman who is a Conservative MP, every woman who has ever won the leadership, has had to fight to get where she is.
'By contrast, Labour women are demanding guarantees from Burnham. But the truth is he doesn't have to give any guarantees.
'If none of Labour's women are prepared to get their hands dirty and challenge him for the leadership, their demands are toothless.'
'In fact, it's quite revealing that the women's parliamentary Labour Party has written to Burnham asking him to commit himself to at least 50 per cent female ministers.
'This has nothing to do with meritocracy. It is yet more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country.'
