Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark was forced to leave her team's WNBA matchup with the Connecticut Sun on July 15 after re-injuring her groin, which is the fourth muscle injury that the guard has suffered this season. She's been sidelined since, but the hope is that her return will be coming some time soon. That has fans now asking if Clark will be back on the floor for the Fever's Sunday matchup on the road against the Seattle Storm.
When Clark injured her groin earlier in the season, she was out for two weeks before returning to action. It's now been almost three weeks since this latest injury, though, which is why fans are looking at the matchup against the Storm as a potential possibility for the star's return to the hardwood. However, there are also signs that the Fever are approaching this injury much more cautiously, which adds some doubt to that.
So, as of right now, things are shaping up so that Clark won't play on Sunday, Aug. 3 against the Storm.
Caitlin Clark officially ruled out for Fever vs. Storm matchup today
Caitlin Clark won't play on Sunday against the Storm, the Fever announced about an hour before tip-off in Seattle.
Status Report for today's game at Seattle:
— Indiana Fever (@IndianaFever) August 3, 2025
Caitlin Clark - Out (right groin) pic.twitter.com/fKvf7E56eT
Missing Sunday's matinée against the Storm will mark the seventh straight game that Clark will have missed with this latest groin injury and the 16th game out of what will be the Fever's 29 regular-season contests after Sunday that she's been out due to various injuries. That leaves only 13 games that Clark has been available for the Fever this season, which is a tough blow.
At the same time, Indiana is clearly showing the utmost caution with Clark's injury. There was some concern that the superstar guard, who notably didn't miss a single college game due to injury throughout her storied career with the Iowa Hawkeyes, was rushed back from her previous ailments, so the Fever appear to be trying to protect from that happening again.
What is the Fever's record over the last six games without Caitlin Clark?
Despite the Fever being without their superstar for the last six games with this latest groin injury, they've still managed to go 4-2 over that stretch. Both of Indiana's losses over that span came in back-to-back games against the New York Liberty, both of which were also immediately after the latest injury for Clark. They've righted the ship a bit since then and have climbed to 16-12 on the season entering the matchup with Seattle on Sunday.
That, however, makes the matchup with the Storm all the more crucial. The Fever are now tied with Seattle for the WNBA's fifth-best record and just a half-game behind the Phoenix Mercury in the overall league standings. If they can continue their hot streak in spite of not having Clark in the lineup, they could vault into a tie with the Mercury but with an advantage in the win-column (Phoenix is 16-11).
When could Caitlin Clark return to action for the Fever?
Fever head coach Stephanie White called Clark's latest groin injury day-to-day immediately after the star guard went down. That, obviously, seems less likely to be the case, but barring an announcement that this is a season-ending injury and with the caution Indiana appears to be exercising here, we can hopefully assume that Clark will be back within a month of the initial injury.
Though we don't have concrete information, if the recovery is going well, the most reasonable return date for Clark might be Saturday, Aug. 9 against the Chicago Sky. That will mark the Fever's return to Indianapolis after a four-game road trip. And hey, fans would like that too with a renewal of the rivalry between Clark and Sky star Angel Reese.