Caitlin Clark Says Quad Injury Will Be Reevaluated, Could Return to Fever Next Week

Caitlin Clark says she could return from her quadriceps injury as soon as the Indiana Fever's Tuesday road game against the Atlanta Dream.

"I'll miss this weekend's game, but after that, it's day-by-day and see how I feel, and kind of turn to the medical staff and what they think," Clark told reporters on Thursday.

"Feel like I've made a lot of progress, and I feel good. I'm not going to rush coming back, it's just not worth it."

The Dream game will take place 15 days after the Fever announced Clark would miss "a minimum of two weeks" after suffering a left quadriceps strain.

When asked about potentially playing against the Dream, Clark said "We'll see" but stressed she isn't focused on a specific return date.

"This type of injury, you don't know," Clark said. "When I wake up, I'll feel different than the day before. We'll see. It could be a possibility, but I could also not be available for that game, too."

Fever head coach Stephanie White told reporters that Clark had notified the team about pain in her leg following the Fever's May 24 loss to the New York Liberty, per ESPN's Alexa Philippou.

Clark then underwent an MRI, leading to the team's injury announcement two days later, Philippou reported.

The Fever dropped two straight games in Clark's absence before claiming their first win of the season without her on Tuesday in a 85-76 victory over the Washington Mystics.

"It was probably, outside of Game 1, the most consistent we've played throughout the course of 40 minutes," White told reporters after the win. "So I'm proud of this group sticking with it. It wasn't perfect, but we found a way to get it done."

Getting Clark back in the fold could help the Fever build on the momentum. The 23-year-old has so far followed her Rookie of the Year 2024 campaign by averaging 19.0 points, 9.3 assists and 6.0 rebounds through her first four games of the season.