It’s almost as if the basketball gods refuse to let the Indiana Fever catch a break. After an injury-ridden campaign last season, one that saw them lose five players, including that of Caitlin Clark, to season-ending injuries ahead of the playoffs, the hope was that this year would finally be different.

That’s exactly how things seemed to be lining up. Stephanie White had a clear roadmap in place to navigate injuries, stacking the roster with extra guard depth and carefully managing workloads. There was even a detailed plan to keep Caitlin Clark fresh and available. For once, it felt like the Indiana Fever were ahead of the curve. And yet, somehow, it’s déjà vu all over again.

Just a day before the Fever’s preseason opener against the New York Liberty, reports have confirmed that Aliyah Boston (lower leg), Lexie Hull (hamstring), Ty Harris (knee), and Damiris Dantas (NWT) will all miss the first game of the season.

But this wasn’t supposed to happen again, at least not this early.

Boston was one of the pillars holding everything together in 2025, carrying a significant load as injuries piled up around her. She averaged a career-high 15.0 points on an efficient 53.8% shooting, along with 8.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game. She followed it up with an eventful offseason, balling out in Unrivaled while playing for the Phantom BC. But just as things were heating up, luck turned, she picked up an injury right before the playoffs.

But when the Indiana Fever training camp rolled around, Aliyah Boston was right back where she belonged, on the floor with her teammates, fresh off signing a record-setting four-year, $6.3 million deal. For a moment, it felt like the storm had passed.

“I just had a lower leg injury, and right now I’m feeling good to go,” Boston said to Tony East of The IX Sports. “Ready to get to work.”

Another player spotted actively practicing at training camp was Tyasha Harris. Harris is returning from a season-ending left knee injury that limited her to just five games with Dallas last season. And while the Indiana native is expected to take on a backup role this year, it cannot be stressed enough how much the Indiana Fever are relying on added guard depth to keep their energetic backcourt duo of Caitlin Clark and Kelsey Mitchell fit.

But there’s one player Indiana Fever fans will be especially hoping hasn’t picked up a serious injury.

That’s one-third of the “tres leches,” the Iron Lady of Indiana, Lexie Hull.

Hull was one of the Indiana Fever’s few ever-present figures last season, showing up in all 44 games and quietly doing the dirty work, 7.2 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 27 minutes of relentless effort every night. The official injury report lists her with hamstring tightness, and fans will be hoping it’s nothing serious, especially for a player who once suited up with two black eyes simply because the team needed her to.

But while Boston, Hull, and Harris have all been active in portions of practice open to the media this week, the fourth player mentioned in their unavailable list has yet to join the team.

Yes, Damiris Dantas, who re-signed with the Indiana Fever on a two-year, $300,000 veteran minimum contract on April 12, is still yet to join the team as she awaits her visa before entering the country for training camp. Head coach Stephanie White remains hopeful but cautious. Dantas’ arrival is “potentially Thursday,” she said to IndyStar, but ultimately, it’s out of their control as they await approval from the U.S. government.

For those who have followed Damiris Dantas with the Indiana Fever over the past three years, this isn’t unfamiliar, they’re used to the center missing parts of training camp.

She missed the entire 2024 training camp while recovering from a knee injury suffered overseas, with her contract even suspended to start the season before she eventually rejoined the Indiana Fever in June. And just a year later, in 2025, she was again away from camp, this time due to a death in the family.

That said, this shouldn’t be a cause for concern for Indiana Fever fans. As per IndyStar’s Chloe Peterson, Aliyah Boston, Lexie Hull, and Tyasha Harris would all have played if this were a regular-season game. “If it was a regular season game, they would be playing,” she said.

Head coach Stephanie White also emphasized that the team wanted to give their new and younger players a chance to log minutes, which is another reason for optimism moving forward. And that could turn out to be a blessing in disguise for the Indiana Fever.

With key players sidelined, the bench is being thrown straight into the fire, forced to handle real in-game situations and grow on the fly. It might only be preseason, but for Indiana, this is an early litmus test. A chance to see exactly what their new depth looks like under pressure and how ready it really is when it matters.

That said, all eyes will be on Caitlin Clark, who looks set to make her long-awaited return after last suiting up for the Indiana Fever on July 15, 2025. And if that doesn’t give fans a reason to show up, what will?

And their opponents, the New York Liberty, who beat them three times last season, won’t be at full strength either. The Liberty have listed Rebecca Allen (out), Marine Fauthoux (out), and Satou Sabally (questionable) under reconditioning. Meanwhile, Pauline Astier, Raquel Carrera, Leonie Fiebich, and Ugonne Onyiah are yet to join with the team.

Fans of the 2024 champions were understandably eager to see their new Big 4 in action. But they’ll have to wait. The team isn’t taking any risks with Satou Sabally, who is still recovering from a prolonged battle with concussion, an issue that also kept her out of the Unrivaled season.

While we’ll soon find out which of the two comes out on top in their first training game, the injury updates didn’t sit well with Indiana Fever fans. This time, they were hoping for a clean slate when it came to injuries. So naturally, when the news started making the rounds, it didn’t take long for reactions to pour in.

Indiana Fever fans spiral as Aliyah Boston injury update triggers painful flashbacks

With four players out, it didn’t take long for fans to voice what many were already thinking and feeling. One moment, things looked normal, and the very next, four names were ruled out. For fans who are still not over the nightmares from 2025, that hits differently.

“This cannot be real… so this season is coming for all the people last season missed?! WTF,” one fan wrote, capturing the immediate disbelief. While another added, “I’m not doing this again this year! Injuries already, and we haven’t even played a game! Going to go pay an Etsy witch to heal all Fever girls lol,” mixing frustration with a bit of humor.

Last season, it felt like the injuries wouldn’t stop for this team.

At one point or another, key players kept dropping like flies. Caitlin Clark missed extended time with multiple setbacks, where the 24-year-old dealt with a serious quad strain, an on-and-off groin injury, and a bone bruise in her ankle, which limited her to just 13 games.

Around that same time, point guards Aari McDonald and Sydney Colson were both ruled out for the season in the same game, where one dealt with a broken foot, while the other with a torn ACL. Still, it didn’t stop there. It was Sophie Cunningham who went down next with an MCL tear, while Chloe Bibby followed with a knee injury. And Damiris Dantas? She never made it back to the floor during the playoffs due to a concussion.

However, to give credit where it’s due, this team still kept pushing and went until the semifinals. But that doesn’t mean fans want to see their team go through something like that again.

“I’m sorry, but I have PTSD from last year, I can’t 😭,” one fan added. Another fan questioned, “I’m so sick to my stomach rn… who gonna fill in for AB now with a bunch of small guard.”

With Boston sidelined for the preseason opener, the Fever will likely look toward rookie Raven Johnson to step into a bigger role, while Kelsey Mitchell could also take on added responsibility to help balance the load.

But even with options stepping in, it will be hard to replace her.

At 6’5”, Aliyah Boston anchors the paint, controls the boards, and forces defenses to collapse inside. And guards like Johnson or Mitchell simply aren’t built to fill that role, especially against size like Jonquel Jones and the New York Liberty.

Yes, veterans like Monique Billings and Myisha Hines-Allen can step in and handle the physical work, but it’s more of a temporary fix than a true replacement.

Still, not every fan hit the panic button.

“Hopefully just precautions, but that is bad flashback-inducing,” one fan noted.

And that optimism isn’t entirely misplaced.

This update is understood to be precautionary as mentioned above, with Aliyah Boston and Tyasha Harris continuing their return-to-play plans, while Lexie Hull is simply dealing with some minor tightness. The team is taking these measures simply as a precaution, as they don’t want to put the players at any risk.

Maybe it’s nothing serious, but after everything 2025 threw at them, it’s understandable why Indiana Fever fans panicked.