The Chicago Sky’s quest to stay in the playoff race took another hit on Sunday (July 19) after a 93-91 loss to the Atlanta Dream at Gateway Center Arena. With stars like Rickea Jackson and most of Skylar Diggins unable to play due to injuries, the 9-17 Sky are looking at DiJonai Carrington, who is also on the injury list, to return and inject some life back into the campaign. However, after the game, head coach Tyler Marsh gave a reality check.

“We want her to get as much contact as possible, so she can get used to getting those bumps and those hits. Some of it’s just going to come through trials and putting her in there.”

“It’s been eight to nine months since she’s last played. We want to make sure that she’s fully ready to come back, so there’s no setbacks.”

DiJonai has now been away from WNBA action for 306 days, last playing on September 17, 2025, when she suffered a serious mid-foot sprain during Game 2 of the playoffs while playing for the Minnesota Lynx. Her recovery has included foot surgery, followed by another procedure in mid-April 2026 to remove the surgical hardware.

Earlier this season, journalist Annie Costabile reported that Carrington’s return was “without timetable.” The 28-year-old echoed that sentiment in May of this year, saying “I don’t have a timeline that I’m going to publicize.”

She also shared a positive update on her recovery: “I did have the hardware surgery a couple of weeks back. So that’s why I wasn’t able to be here at the beginning of the camp. But it was very successful. I feel great. I do really feel good and strong.“

After signing with the Chicago Sky during the offseason, Carrington has yet to make her debut and remains on the inactive list, with no official return date announced. Even so, the former Stanford star has continued to keep fans updated on her progress. Earlier this month, she opened up about her recovery once again and shared a little more about her battle.

The mental hurdles DiJonai Carrington has been facing

Even though DiJonai Carrington is still listed as out on the WNBA injury report, there are encouraging signs. The Sky guard has returned to full-contact drills and is taking part in team practices, a major step forward in her recovery.

Carrington admits, however, that the journey has been just as challenging mentally as it has been physically.

“Honestly, this is such a traumatic injury, and I think the timing of it all also was a bit traumatic for me. The last 10 months have been really difficult, so I think just being able to come back and feel confident and not think every two seconds about, like, am I good? Just checking,” she said.

Earlier in training camp, she also opened up about the mental hurdle of returning from a foot injury, saying, “When you see a lot of feet on the court, and you have a foot injury, it’s a mental hurdle.” 

Still, Carrington appears to be turning the corner. Off the court, she’s continued to show the personality fans know her for, even sharing photos embracing her signature cowboy style. Now, with her workload increasing in practice, her long-awaited Sky debut finally feels within reach. Whether it comes against the New York Liberty on July 23 or a little later, Chicago fans have every reason to believe the wait is almost over.