Is Caitlin Clark out for the season? Fever's sole scenario to activate injured star for playoff games revealed

The Indiana Fever's 2025 season has been a rollercoaster ride. After fighting for a playoff berth towards the end of the season, they are up 1-0 against the No. 2 Las Vegas Aces in the semifinals. With the Fever's surprise run, many fans have wondered if the injured Caitlin Clark could return at some point in the playoffs.

On Monday, one fan pointed to a ruling in the current CBA that could pave the way for Clark's return. According to the screenshot posted, an inactive player under contract could be activated to replace an injured player. The CBA also states that every team must submit its playoff roster ahead of the postseason.

However, WNBA insider Chloe Peterson of IndyStar reported that Caitlin Clark will not be eligible to return in the playoffs. The two-time All-Star was not part of the active roster that Indiana submitted before the WNBA playoffs. Even if Clark were to be deemed fully healthy by the medical team, she cannot play.

"CC is not on the playoff roster, so she is not eligible to play in the postseason at all, no matter what. This could be referring to someone on the playoff roster but injured, and they could be activated if another player got injured, but CC is not on the playoff roster at all," Peterson replied on Monday.

The 2024 Rookie of the Year was limited to 13 games with several injuries: left quad, left groin, right groin and left ankle. On Sept. 4, Caitlin Clark announced that she will sit out the rest of the season. She last played on July 15, and has missed 22 straight regular-season games and the Fever's four playoff matches.

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Caitlin Clark hilariously reacts to her $200 fine for social media comments

Despite her injury, Caitlin Clark is active on the Indiana Fever bench to cheer on her teammates. After Indiana's Game 2 win over the Atlanta Dream on Tuesday, Clark wrote "Elite bench mob" and "Refs couldn't stop us" on Instagram. According to Clark, the comments netted a $200 fine from the league.

"Got fined $200 for this lol😂😂😂😂😂BENCH MOB WILL BE EVEN MORE ROWDY TOMORROW LETS GOO!!!!!!!!!!!!! @IndianaFever."

The Fever went on to eliminate the Dream in the do-or-die Game 3 on Thursday. They also had an 89-73 win in their semifinal opener against the Las Vegas Aces on Sunday at Michelob Ultra Arena.

Game 2 of the best-of-five semifinals will be on Tuesday in Las Vegas before the series shifts to Indiana for Games 3 and 4, if necessary.

Edited by Kim Daniel Rubinos