Could Caitlin Clark miss the rest of 2025 due to injury? Here's the latest.
The Fever put out a statement on Thursday updating her status after she sustained a new groin injury last week, one that specifically didn't put a timetable on her return to action this season.
"Following a July 15 injury to her right groin, Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark underwent further medical evaluations earlier this week. The team can confirm that no additional injuries or damage were discovered through the evaluations," the statement read.
"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."
On one hand, it's very good that Clark's latest evaluations didn't reveal any significant damage. On the other hand, this is the third time Clark has missed multiple games because of an injury this season. She will be absent for her third game in a row on Thursday when the Fever take on the Las Vegas Aces, a stretch already compounded by her missing last weekend's WNBA All-Star festivities.
Not to be too doom-and-gloom as we don't know for sure, but it's entirely plausible that Clark won't play again in the regular season, even if this recent injury wasn't severe. With the focus being on her long-term health and well-being, the franchise may feel it wise to risk any further injuries that could linger into the future.
While it's also very plausible she may play again soon, the team not putting a timeframe on her return feels foreboding, at least in terms of 2025's prospects. If the Fever made the playoffs, perhaps that's a reasonable timeline for her return? The ambiguity points to many different outcomes, but none necessarily immediate.
Fever fans shouldn't take Thursday's update as a worst-case scenario, but they also shouldn't take it lightly. If the franchise really is focused on Clark's long-term health over short-term gains, the odds of her playing again this season might just depend on how her recovery goes and what the risks for further injuries are.
Obviously, Clark not returning to the court would be catastrophic for the Fever's WNBA title chances, but it might be what's best for her and her long-term career with the franchise. With Indiana not quite at the level of elite teams like the New York Liberty, the Minnesota Lynx and the Phoenix Mercury, you really could see a world where Indiana makes the difficult decision to eventually shut her down for the season out of precaution.
We'll see what happens as the season rolls on, but Thursday's update certainly puts an uncomfortable pall over the team concerning whether or not Clark will take the court again this season. It's absolutely possible Clark returns, but it doesn't sound like a guarantee like it did with her past injuries this season.
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