Reports: Setback could delay Caitlin Clark's return to Fever

The timeline for Caitlin Clark to return to the Indiana Fever might be pushed back after the star guard sustained a left ankle bone bruise earlier this month, multiple media outlets reported on Wednesday.

According to Fieldhouse Files and the Indianapolis Star, Clark hurt her ankle in solo training on Aug. 7 in Phoenix.

She was already sidelined due to a right groin ailment that has kept her out of action since July 15. The team still has yet to state when Clark might back ready for game action.

The timing of Clark's latest health problem was unfortunate for the Fever. The same day, two other guards, Aari McDonald and Sydney Colson, went down with injuries. McDonald broke her right foot, and Colson tore her left anterior cruciate ligament; neither player will return this season.

In addition, guard Sophie Cunningham sustained a season-ending injury to her right medial collateral ligament on Sunday.

Since Clark last played, the Fever have gone 7-6. Indiana (19-16) sits in sixth place in the WNBA standings. The top eight teams advance to the playoffs, and the Fever are just two games up on the ninth-place Los Angeles Sparks.

Clark, 23, is averaging 16.5 points, 8.8 assists, 5.0 rebounds and 1.6 steals in 13 games this year. She won WNBA Rookie of the Year last season when she logged 19.2 points, 8.4 assists, 5.7 rebounds and 1.3 steals in 40 games.

Indiana, which had lost four of its past six games, next plays a home-and-home series against the first-place Minnesota Lynx on Friday in Indianapolis and on Sunday in Minneapolis.

--Field Level Media