Caitlin Clark Injury Recovery: Here's What We Know About Fever Star's Return Progress
Indiana Fever superstar Caitlin Clark has not played in a WNBA game since injuring her right groin on July 15 in a win over the Connecticut Sun. The injury, which is one of several Clark has suffered this season, has sidelined her with no set timetable for return.
However, that doesn't mean Clark isn't working her way back toward a return to play, even amid a cautious approach to recovery this time around.
What Is the Injury?
The exact nature of Clark's injury has not been publicly revealed. Of course, the fact that it was to the groin area was evident for everyone one to see in the aforementioned Sun contest, as Clark was visibly shaken by the injury—perhaps due to a combination of the timing being right before the All-Star Game in Indianapolis and the realization that she had a long road to recovery ahead of her.
Clark had imaging done the next day and according to comments made by coach Stephanie White then, the MRI could not have revealed a high-grade strain.
"I consider it good news, just because, for me, if it's anything that we're talking about day-to-day, it's always good news for me," White said at the time.
But what that didn't take into consideration was the bevy of injuries Clark has accumulated throughout the 2025 season.
The Fever star was held out of a preseason game due to quad tightness, missed another three weeks of action as a result of a quadriceps strain toward the beginning of the season, and was sidelined for two more weeks with a groin issue on the left side following a game against the Seattle Storm on June 24—all that before this latest ailment.
i feel sick pic.twitter.com/dPJTr6RrDy
— correlation (@nosyone4) July 16, 2025
The concern was enough that Clark went for further evaluations following All-Star weekend. Fortunately, those showed no further damage, much to the relief of everyone in the organization.
However, in the wake of those evaluations, the Fever made it clear what the approach would be this time around.
"Clark will continue working with the Fever medical team on her recovery and rehabilitation, with the priority on her long-term health and well-being. There is no timetable available for Clark’s return, and no additional details will be provided at this time. Any further updates will be shared as they become available," the team said in a statement.
Translation: Clark's return to game action will be slow played in order to avoid another setback and to get her back on the floor at as close to 100% as possible.
Where Is Clark in Her Recovery?
It has been four weeks since Clark's injury, with the details on exactly where she is in her rehab progress still a bit sparse.
We do know that Clark has resumed running, with White also sharing that she has recently added to the type of movements she is doing on the floor. But those comments came in stating that Clark has not returned to practice as of yet.
"No return to practice. She has been able to get a little bit more into her full-court running, with all of her body weight. It's really building up from doing minimal to then building some endurance to do longer periods of time.
"She has been able to do a little bit more on the court in terms of how she moves. But not into practice yet, no," White said.
Caitlin Clark has not yet returned to practice, Stephanie White says.
— Chloe Peterson (@chloepeterson67) August 11, 2025
She is able to do a bit more in the running and individual workouts aspects, but no practice with the full team yet. pic.twitter.com/EDw1Dz85iy
The bit about different type of movements can certainly be spun as encouraging, because that could infer that Clark is beginning to cut and move laterally, the type of actions needed in basketball.
In addition, Clark has been spotted shooting in the background of practice videos and was seen getting some soccer kicks in at an event for her foundation.
See You Soon CC?
Given her lengthy absence, speculation about when Clark will actually return to the court has amplified in recent days. This was bolstered by a change to her injury status on the WNBA's website, albeit one that was not based on any actual information.
However, the anticipation was also heightened due to a post by her teammate Natasha Howard, who wrote, "See you soon CC ❤️🔥," amid praise for the fight the Fever squad has shown.
We will always fighting for each other but we feel this fight is a little different with our girls out the lineup. All the hard work they’ve put in over this season won’t go unnoticed. Win are lose just know we are fighting to the end for Syd,CC & Ari. See you soon CC ❤️🔥 https://t.co/3JtMxgqrjc
— NATASHA HOWARD ⚡️FLASH⚡️ (@THoward_6) August 10, 2025
The fight mentioned referenced the Fever having to play shorthanded due season-ending to injuries to guards Aari McDonald and Sydney Colson. But the part about seeing CC soon certainly got fans excited, as it implied Clark's return must not be too far off.
When Will Clark Return for Fever?
That is the question everyone is asking. And with no set timetable, all that remains is the guessing game. Still, one can attempt to read the tea leaves.
Given Clark has not returned to practice as of yet, that likely rules out a return this week. The Fever are clearly attempting to ramp her up before a return to game action.
But in looking at Indiana's upcoming schedule, some realistic return dates begin to come into focus.
The Fever play the Sun on August 17, and then not again until they face the Minnesota Lynx on August 22. That extended break could serve as a natural point to reintigrate Clark into practice.
Caitlin Clark has started doing more full court running and endurance work but has not returned to practice yet according to coach White pic.twitter.com/fqptY1uMQ0
— Clark Report (@CClarkReport) August 11, 2025
Indiana obviously will not rush things even at that point. But said game against the Lynx is not out of the realm of possibilities.
With that said, the Fever play the Lynx again, this time on the road, on August 24. It stands to reason the cautious approach may keep Clark out of the lineup for those two games that come in a short window.
That would make the contest vs the Seattle Storm on August 26 (at Gainbridge Fieldhouse) another reasonable target date.
When Clark actually returns remains to be seen. But the good news is she has had ample time for recovery, as the Fever have stayed in strong position for a playoff push upon finally getting the star point guard back.
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Robin Lundberg is a media veteran and hoops head who has spent the bulk of his career with iconic brands like Sports Illustrated and ESPN. His insights have also been featured on platforms such as Fox and CNN and he can currently be heard hosting shows for Sirius XM and on his popular YouTube channel. And now he brings his basketball expertise to Women's Fastbreak On SI and Indiana Fever On SI!
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