Caitlin Clark injury status changed again Wednesday. She was upgraded to available before tipoff, then left the Indiana Fever’s game against the Phoenix Mercury in the third quarter and was ruled out with a back injury.
Clark had 19 points and eight assists before she exited. She shot 5-of-9 from the field and 3-of-4 from the 3-point line, then did not return after heading to the locker room.
Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever
With 5:15 left in the third quarter, Clark was subbed out after the Mercury turned her turnover into two points and tied the game at 67-all. Stephanie White called a timeout at that point, and Clark did not reenter.
The Fever later announced that Clark was ruled out against the Phoenix Mercury. That came after she started Wednesday on the injury report as probable because of back soreness, even though she had been cleared ahead of tipoff.
Back soreness for Caitlin Clark
This was not the first time Clark’s back forced a change. She temporarily exited the Fever’s 107-104 season-opening loss to the Dallas Wings on May 9, returned from the locker room with a wrap around her back, and later said she went out to get her back adjusted because it gets out of line pretty quickly.
White said that same night the back issue is an ongoing thing this season, and she added that the Fever have multiple players who go back to get adjusted and make sure the body is working. Clark was also sidelined in the Fever’s win over the Portland Fire on May 20 because of back soreness.
Wednesday’s injury shift
The practical issue now is simple: Clark finished the game’s early stretch with strong production, but her status changed in real time and ended with her out. For the Indiana Fever, that leaves Wednesday’s scoring and playmaking without the guard who had already supplied 19 points and eight assists.
Whether Caitlin Clark will be available for the next Indiana Fever game is not answered by Wednesday’s turnaround, and the team will have to manage her back soreness after a night that started with a probable tag and ended with her in the locker room.
