Honestly, if you looked at the Indiana Fever roster toward the end of last season, it felt less like a basketball team and more like a walking triage unit. It was brutal. One minute the hype is through the roof because of the Caitlin Clark effect, and the next, half the rotation is in street clothes on the bench.
The Indiana Fever injury report became the most refreshed page on the internet for WNBA fans. It wasn't just nagging stuff either; we're talking season-ending blows that shifted the entire trajectory of their playoff run.
But here’s the thing people keep missing: despite the hospital-level depth chart, they actually made it to the semifinals. That’s wild. Most teams fold when their franchise player goes down. The Fever just got scrappy.
The Caitlin Clark Situation: Is She Actually Back?
The big question everyone keeps asking is about the face of the league. Caitlin Clark's sophomore year didn't go to plan. Not even close. She was limited to just 13 games.
It started with a left quad issue, then a groin strain in July against the Connecticut Sun, and then—just to add insult to injury—a bone bruise in her ankle during an August workout. The team finally shut her down in September. It sucked. You could see the frustration on her face every time the cameras panned to her during the playoffs.
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Basically, she had to learn how to run again. She actually said that on the New Heights podcast recently. When you deal with groin and quad injuries back-to-back, your mechanics just get wonky.
The good news? She’s back on the court. Clark showed up at the Team USA training camp at Duke in December and looked like her old self. She’s aiming for the 2026 FIBA World Cup and the WNBA season opener. If you were worried about a "bust" or long-term mobility issues, the early word from camp is that she’s moving freely again.
Kelsey Mitchell and the Rhabdomyolysis Scare
Kelsey Mitchell is tough as nails, but what happened to her in the semifinals was scary. Most people saw her leave Game 5 against the Aces and figured it was a typical muscle strain from carrying the offense.
It wasn't.
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She was diagnosed with rhabdomyolysis. If you aren't a medical nerd, that’s basically a condition where your muscle tissue breaks down and releases a damaging protein into your blood. It’s usually caused by extreme overexertion. Mitchell described it as a "paralyzing feeling" where she couldn't move her legs for several seconds.
She’s fully recovered now—thankfully—and is currently tearing it up in the Unrivaled 3-on-3 league. But that injury was a massive wake-up call about the physical load she was carrying while Clark and others were out.
The Rest of the MASH Unit: Cunningham, McDonald, and More
It wasn't just the stars. The depth took a massive hit that almost nobody talks about.
- Sophie Cunningham: She went down in August with a right knee injury. It ended her season immediately. The Fever had to sign Shey Peddy to a hardship contract just to have enough bodies to finish the year.
- Aari McDonald: She missed about five months with her own injury issues but finally made her return in early January 2026 during the Unrivaled season.
- Temi Fagbenle: She’s been dealing with the typical wear and tear but is currently active, even filling in for Napheesa Collier in the 3-on-3 circuit.
Why the 2026 Outlook is Actually Terrifying (For Other Teams)
If you're an Indiana fan, the Indiana Fever injury report is finally looking empty, which is a beautiful sight. The 2025 season was a "what if" story, but 2026 is shaping up to be the "revenge tour."
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Aliyah Boston is currently using the offseason to add a three-point shot to her game. Think about that for a second. If Boston becomes a threat from deep, the pick-and-roll with a healthy Caitlin Clark becomes impossible to guard. You can't drop, you can't hedge, and you can't leave Boston open.
The front office has some work to do, though. Kelsey Mitchell is a free agent, and keeping her is priority number one. They’ll likely use the "core" designation on her if they have to. They have the cap space—roughly $1.3 million—to fill out the rest of the roster around the Boston-Clark-Timpson trio.
How to Track the Fever’s Health This Offseason
Don't just wait for the official team Twitter to post a graphic. If you want to know how these players are actually moving, watch the Unrivaled league highlights.
- Check the Unrivaled box scores: Look for Kelsey Mitchell’s minutes and Aliyah Boston’s shooting percentages.
- Monitor Team USA updates: Caitlin Clark is participating in the 2026 cycle; any news from those camps is more telling than a standard PR blurb.
- Watch the expansion draft news: With the league growing, the Fever might lose a depth piece, which makes the health of their starters even more critical.
The 2026 season is going to be fast. Because of the World Cup in September, the WNBA will take a mid-season break. This means the schedule will be compressed, and depth will matter more than ever.
If Indiana can stay off the injury report, they aren't just a playoff team. They’re a title contender. Period. Keeping Clark's groin injury from becoming a chronic "nagging" issue is the only thing standing between them and a deep run in the Finals.
Stay tuned to the official WNBA transaction wire and the team's medical updates as training camp approaches in the spring. The "rehab" era in Indy is officially over; now it's just about basketball.