Caitlin Clark Injury Update: When Will Fever Star Return?
The WNBA’s brightest star has been sidelined with an injury. Caitlin Clark is dealing with a left quad strain that will cause her to miss some time on the court with the Indiana Fever.
Here, we will look at just how long Clark is expected to be out, and project some potential return dates. We will also look at how Clark’s injury is impacting WNBA betting markets.
🩼 When will Caitlin Clark return and be back with the Indiana Fever?
An underrated part of what has made Clark such a special basketball player is her durability. Clark will miss games for the first time in her WNBA career due to this quad strain. Clark was also an iron-woman at Iowa, as she played in all 139 games she was eligible for.
So, when will Clark be back on the court?
The Fever have said that she will be out "at least two weeks," but expect Indiana to give Clark even more time to ramp up for her return. Given that it is so early in the WNBA regular season, and that the injury may have been caused by fatigue in the first place, the Fever will likely act with an abundance of caution when it comes to their top player.
The Fever announced on Monday, May 26 that Clark would be out for at least two weeks. Two weeks from that date is Monday, June 9, and Indiana’s first game after that date is Tuesday, June 10 at the Atlanta Dream.
The Fever then have a nationally televised home game on Saturday, June 14 against the defending WNBA champion New York Liberty. That seems like the most likely return date for Clark.
Here is a look at the Fever schedule around that time.
- Tuesday, June 10: Indiana Fever at Atlanta Dream
- Saturday, June 14: New York Liberty at Indiana Fever
- Tuesday, June 17: Connecticut Sun at Indiana Fever
- Thursday, June 19: Indiana Fever at Golden State Valkyries
- Sunday, June 22: Indiana Fever at Las Vegas Acres
- Tuesday, June 24: Indiana Fever at Seattle Storm
⏰ How long will Caitlin Clark be out?
By all indications, Clark sustained a "mild" quad strain. Mild quad strains typically have a recovery time of 2-3 weeks.
Of note, Clark sat out a May 3 preseason game against the Washington Mystics due to “quad tightness.” At the time, Clark told the media that the tweak was likely due to “just a little too much basketball."
Had this most recent injury occurred during the WNBA Playoffs, it is probable that Clark would have found a way to play immediately. But, given the prior issue and this most recent mild strain, the Fever want to give Clark proper time to fully heal.
"Obviously, she's a competitor and wants to play. Obviously, everyone wants to watch her play,” Fever head coach Stephanie White said. "But for me, it's maintaining perspective. It's making sure that we address this in a way that doesn't affect longterm, that we take care of it, don't over-push, don't overexert, making sure that we take the long-game approach to this so that we're not having lingering issues throughout the course of the season. Sometimes great players don't tell you when they're hurting. I'm glad that she did, because we need to nip this in the bud."
📊 Fever betting odds
Clark’s injury has had an impact on WNBA championship odds and other betting markets.
The Fever had WNBA title odds of around +300 at our best sports betting sites prior to Clark’s injury. That was the second-lowest price, only to the defending champion New York Liberty. Now, Fever title odds sit around +400 at most books.
Here is a look at updated WNBA title odds.
The injury has also impacted WNBA MVP odds, as Clark had been the favorite prior to getting hurt. Clark was -115 to win the league’s most prestigious individual award but is now +500 at most shops. Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier is the new favorite, owning around a -300 price at most sportsbooks.
Here is a look at the latest WNBA MVP odds:
- Napheesa Collier (-300)
- Caitlin Clark (+500)
- A'ja Wilson (+750)
- Kelsey Plum (+5500)
- Breanna Stewart (+7500)
- Satou Sabally (+7500)
- Alyssa Thomas (+11000)
- Nneka Ogwumike (+11000)
- Natasha Cloud (+11000)
- Sabrina Ionescu (+11000)
- Jackie Young (+16000)
- Rhyne Howard (+16000)
- Skylar Diggins-Smith (+16000)
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