July 15. The night the Indiana Fever silenced the Connecticut Sun inside a packed TD Garden. The crowd was electric, Caitlin Clark was smiling, and everything seemed to be going right. Then, in the final seconds, came the moment no one saw coming. Clark, trying to thread a pass to Kelsey Mitchell, suddenly pulled up in pain and grabbed her right groin. The cheers faded into stunned silence as she limped off the court, tears streaming down her face. At first, it looked like a minor scare, as coach White labeled it a “day-to-day” injury. But as weeks turned into months, those tears started to make a lot more sense.

Now, nearly three and a half months later, we finally have an update on when Caitlin Clark could make her long-awaited return.

Journalist Chloe Peterson finally gave fans the update they’ve been waiting for. According to her, Caitlin Clark is right on track with her recovery. Head coach Stephanie White confirmed that Clark’s goal of returning to full 5-on-5 action by the end of October is still very much in play. For now, she’s easing back in, starting with 2-on-2 and 3-on-3 workouts as she builds her way up.

“We’re not jumping into anything that’s too much,” White said in the interview with Indy Star’s Chloe Peterson. “We have the ability to right now take it on week-by-week basis, doing some 3-on-3, doing some 2-on-2, building into 5-on-5. Her being able to play in game-like situations is going to be important. It’s been a long time building back into that, but it is October, and she needs to be able to slowly build back so, from an endurance standpoint, she’s laying a really good foundation so she’s not having any setbacks or any regression.”

Clark’s 2025 campaign was one she’ll want to move past quickly. Limited to just 13 games because of a left quad strain, a left groin strain, and later a right groin strain, she still managed to average 16.5 points, 8.8 assists, and 5.0 rebounds. But as injuries kept her sidelined, all she could do was watch from the sidelines as the Fever fought their way to the semifinals, and celebrated their first playoff series win in a decade.

Caitlin Clark did everything she could to get back on the court. She was grinding through rehab, slowly building strength in that right groin, inching closer to a comeback. But then, disaster struck again. On August 7, she suffered a brutal left ankle bone bruise, one she later called “one of the worst sprains I’ve dealt with” during her exit interview. That setback ended any hope of a late-season return. With three games left, the Fever shut her down, closing the book on a season that just never let her catch a break.

When news first broke about Caitlin Clark’s bone bruise, early reports suggested it was nothing serious and wouldn’t delay her return. But that couldn’t have been further from the truth. Maybe we should have taken a cue from Breanna Stewart, who missed 13 straight games with a bone bruise this season. The setback dragged on far longer than anyone expected, and Indiana Fever coach Stephanie White explained what was most frustrating for Clark

The Frustrating Side of Caitlin Clark’s Injury per Stephanie White

“I would never speak for Caitlin, but it’s frustrating as an athlete to go through injury, when you’re not able to do what you love to do. Certainly, having setbacks, then working your way back, then having another setback, all of that is frustrating…. While it’s frustrating, it’s important that we get her back at 100% and that she’s comfortable, she’s confident, that she’s healthy, and that we can move forward in a way that continues to build for her career and her franchise,” White said in the same interview.

Of course, for Clark, coming back from injury, playing just five games, and then getting hurt again didn’t make things any easier. Her stats showed the toll it was taking. She shot only 36.7% from the field and a surprising 27.9% from three-point range. Numbers like that are far below what you’d expect from a player of her caliber.

The Fever expects Clark to be back at full strength by the start of the 2026 season. Clark, however, is aiming for an even earlier return, and no, it’s not because of Unrivaled. She hopes to suit up for the USA Basketball Women’s National Team during the World Cup qualifiers, scheduled for March 11-17 in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

It will be fascinating to watch if Clark can make a full recovery and return to her peak next season. Do you think she’ll bounce back completely, or will injuries keep holding her back? Share your thoughts in the comments below!