Caitlin Clark’s Return in Serious Doubt After Ankle Tweak Sets Back Recovery

Superstar point guard Caitlin Clark has been working hard towards returning to play for the Indiana Fever sometime this season.

Caitlin Clark’s Return in Serious Doubt After Ankle Tweak Sets Back Recovery

Caitlin Clark suffered a setback in recovery (Image via FirstSportz)

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It has been more than a month since Caitlin Clark injured her right groin. She has missed the last 13 games as the Fever struggled through a wave of joy and then disappointment.

She witnessed her team lose both its backup point guards to season-ending injury. That forced them to find replacements from a thin list of available options.

Then they also lost Sophie Cunningham for the season after she tore her MCL. Now they are left to depend on 7-day contract players as their playoff hopes look bleak.

In the midst of all this, there was hope that Clark would return at some point before the end of the regular season. The franchise was taking it slow as the Fever fought through wild swings in form.

With just 9 games remaining, fans still had hope that the 23-year-old point guard would come back to save the season. However, that doesn’t look very certain after Indy Star reporter Chloe Peterson shared this update.

Sources confirm to me that Caitlin Clark suffered a “very mild” bone bruise in her left ankle on Aug. 7. Source also stresses that this does not tweaked ankle does not affect her return timeline. Sans ankle injury, she would still be out rehabbing her groin.

Chloe Peterson wrote on X

Fieldhouse Files reporter Scott Agness first confirmed the news, revealing that the injury occurred during one of the last defensive plays the Fever practiced. Peterson claims this injury does not impact her return timeline, but Agness later confirmed that was not the case.

Caitlin Clark’s ankle injury pushed recovery schedule

This ankle injury occurred nearly 2 weeks ago, which is enough time to recover. However, such an injury impacts the conditioning drills Caitlin Clark was going through in her bid to return to the court. Scott Agness confirmed this notion while on his podcast.

I can tell you the ankle has definitely impacted Caitlin’s current status. I’ve talked to about a half dozen sources about the situation. It’s a case here where, yes, she is bothered by this ankle injury.

Scott Agness said

If these updates were to be looked at, it seems the chances of the Iowa native returning to the court this season look bleak. The Indiana Fever is not giving a date or a possible timeline.

Hence, there might be a chance that the reigning WNBA Rookie of the Year might not return this season. The league would prefer if its most famous player returned at some point.

This season, the hype Clark and her college rival Angel Reese generated last season has helped the WNBA obliterate its attendance records. However, to sustain that, they need those players on the court.

Reese returned yesterday after missing multiple games due to a back injury. Now it is up to the Fever to get Caitlin Clark back on the court and playing.

Fever’s playoff situation could decide Caitlin Clark’s return

All season long, the Indiana Fever worked towards building team chemistry among their retooled 2025 squad. Caitlin Clark’s injury complicated matters, and they had to sign more players off waivers.

Fever's playoff push might impact Caitlin Clark's return
Fever’s playoff push might impact Caitlin Clark’s return (Image via WNBA/X)

Then, after 2 more injuries, more players had to be signed. Now, after Sophie Cunningham’s injury, the franchise has to dip into the market again and sign a replacement.

With such roster problems, their playoff hopes are in serious doubt. They will face a tough set of games and have teams breathing down their neck.

There was hope that the Iowa superstar would return when the Seattle Storm rolled into Gainbridge Fieldhouse on August 26th. Before that game, they face the league-leading Minnesota Lynx twice.

If the Fever loses both games and the teams behind them win and overtake them, it could impact Caitlin Clark’s return. The franchise might throw in the towel and waltz through the remaining games without her.

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