Why Caitlin Clark Is a Late Scratch for Wednesday’s Fever vs. Fire Game

Clark was ruled out less than two hours before tip-off.

Caitlin Clark was a late scratch for Wednesday night’s Fever vs. Fire game. | Doug McSchooler/Special to IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Shortly before Wednesday night’s prime-time tip-off between the Fever and Fire, Indiana announced that Caitlin Clark would be a late scratch and miss the contest. The team stated that Clark is out with a back injury.

Coach Stephanie White spoke about Clark’s injury in her pre-game press conference. She noted that Clark didn’t participate in practice on Tuesday because she received treatment for her back instead. On Wednesday, Clark woke up with stiffness in her back. However, White doesn’t expect this will be a long-term issue by any means.

“For us, it’s not the time to take a chance,” White said. “She’s healthy, we’re not managing anything. This is just a back issue that we want to make sure we give the time to be ready.”

To a casual fan, this injury could seem to come out of nowhere, but there have been signs that Clark’s back’s been bothering her the past few weeks. During a preseason game on April 25, Clark was seen wearing a back brace (or a heating pad) on the sidelines.

Then, on May 9, Clark admitted that the quick trips she’s taken to the tunnel during games have been to get her “back adjusted” because it can easily get out of line, Indy Star’s Chloe Peterson reported. Clark added that other than the back issue, she feels great.

“That moment where my back tightened up, I think I almost got confidence from that because I came back in and I played eight more minutes, so I felt great,” Clark said last week, via ESPN. “It's something I can take confidence from. But it's going to take me a little bit to really get over the mental hurdle of trusting my body.”

Her back injury hasn’t noticeably impacted her performances on the court through four games. She hasn’t posted less than 20 points in each contest, and she even scored 32 points and 10 assists in one game. Most recently on Sunday, Clark competed for 24 minutes and tallied 21 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds. It was her second double-double of the 2026 season.

Any injury Clark sustains is a cause of concern for Fever fans, especially after what happened last season. Clark was limited to just 13 games in her sophomore season after dealing with left and right groin injuries, a left quad strain and an ankle bruise. It would be devastating to see Clark sidelined for a majority of the season for two years in a row.

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