Caitlin Clark Injury Timeline: When Fever Superstar Could Return After Getting Banged Up vs. Mercury

The 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.

“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
— Chloe Peterson (@chloepeterson67) June 26, 2026

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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