For the second time this season, Caitlin Clark will miss time due to injury. The Indiana Fever announced Clark will miss Thursday night's game against the Los Angeles Sparks.
Status Report for tonight’s game vs. Los Angeles:
— Indiana Fever (@IndianaFever) June 26, 2025
Caitlin Clark – Out (left groin) pic.twitter.com/eErBMTmJLt
Fans, of course, are disappointed. It appeared as though Clark was injured during a play late in the win over the Seattle Storm on Tuesday.
Clark was subbed out, and it seemed like her night was done. Instead, she went back into the game before limping off after some contact.
There wasn't an injury reported at the time, but Thursday's announcement could cost the WNBA a dream matchup between Clark and Paige Bueckers of the Dallas Wings.
The game, scheduled for Friday night in Dallas on Ion, would have been the first matchup between the two women's basketball superstars since UConn and Iowa met in the 2024 Final Four. Clark's Hawkeyes won that day. Bueckers and UConn defeated Iowa in an NCAA Tournament game back in 2021.
Bueckers doesn't have quite the following that Clark does, but it's close. The UConn alum is averaging 17.7 points, 5.8 assists, 4.7 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game this season for Dallas.
Bueckers also joined Clark as the only rookie in WNBA history to score 35 points with five made three-pointers in a game earlier this season. It was going to be one of the most anticipated games of the season, but now, Clark's status is in doubt.
Earlier in the season, when Clark missed five games, the team announced originally that she was expected to miss four. Notably, the Fever didn't rule Clark out for Friday. That leaves a glimmer of hope for Clark to play against Dallas.
If not, the WNBA and its fans will miss out on what would have been must-see TV.
More must-reads:
The Pittsburgh Steelers' wide receiver situation has once again stolen attention heading into the season. The team has DK Metcalf, Calvin Austin III and Roman Wilson ready to lead the way, along with tight ends Pat Freiermuth, Jonnu Smith and Darnell Washington. That is a solid group of pass-catchers for Aaron Rodgers to work with, but many fans remain concerned about depth and the inevitable injuries that occur in the NFL. In a league where it is truly next man up, even one significant injury can dramatically affect a team’s offensive production. On Tuesday, new details emerged revealing that the Washington Commanders reportedly made a wild trade offer to Steelers general manager Omar Khan. Insider Andrew Fillipponi reported on 93.7 The Fan that a former NFL assistant GM said the offer included a second-round draft pick and Freiermuth in exchange for star wide receiver Terry McLaurin. "But one thing that did get thrown out at me from a guy who used to be an assistant general manager in the NFL, was the following trade proposal: He thinks Washington floated this to the Steelers, and it got quickly shut down.... He thinks Washington pushed for this deal and the Steelers were the ones who laughed at it." Such a blockbuster move would have dramatically reshaped Pittsburgh’s offense, but the team ultimately decided to pass. The Steelers would have been unwise to accept it. Trading a young tight end and a second-round pick for a talented but 29-year-old wide receiver who would demand top-tier money at the position would have been financially imprudent for the organization. That is likely why the team quickly dismissed the idea of such a wild trade. Still, it is intriguing to see that Pittsburgh may have been presented with a path to acquire McLaurin, even if it would have been a clearly bad deal. Steelers' 2025 season set to draw tons of extra attention The 2025 season is drawing a lot of attention, largely due to the addition of new faces on offense such as Rodgers and Metcalf. The two are expected to form a lethal duo, but concerns remain about the depth beyond Metcalf. That is why many Steelers fans feel that adding one more offensive weapon would provide greater comfort heading into the season. If the Steelers see a good deal that makes sense and improves their roster, they will take it, but for now, they appear to be staying patient. Khan is as aggressive as they come as of late. He's got his eyes set on bringing a Super Bowl back to Pittsburgh. Whether it can happen in the 2025 season remains to be seen. However, anything is truly possible in the NFL.
It is no secret that the relationship between Micah Parsons and the Dallas Cowboys is not on solid ground, but that does not necessarily mean it is tarnished beyond repair. On the latest episode of his podcast, which was released on Tuesday, ESPN's Adam Schefter predicted that Parsons and the Cowboys are "headed towards divorce." Schefter said the two sides have not spoken since April and that it seems like a matter of when — not if — they part ways. Longtime NFL reporter Josina Anderson was told the situation is not quite that grim, at least from the Cowboys' perspective. Anderson reported on Tuesday evening that the relationship between Parsons and Dallas "has not deteriorated to the point of an imminent divorce." "I did not detect any obvious tones of concern in my sourced conversation when I recently asked about ESPN's Adam Schefter's report stating he sees 'these two sides headed towards a divorce, in time.' ... I just feel Dallas has so much history with protracted (and) sensitive negotiations, thus my current impression is the club remains unrattled, at this time," Anderson wrote in a post on X. Parsons is earning just over $24M in the final year of his rookie contract this season. The 26-year-old had 12 sacks in 13 games last season and has 52.5 sacks in 63 career games. Parsons is arguably the best pass-rusher in the NFL when healthy. Although Parsons has formally requested a trade, the Cowboys maintain that they have no intention of dealing their four-time Pro Bowl defensive end. The only real leverage Parsons has is creating a headache in Dallas. He remains under contract, and the Cowboys also have the ability to use the franchise tag on him in each of the next two seasons. If Parsons were to sit out regular-season games, his contract would eventually toll. Even with Jerry Jones publicly taking shots at Parsons, one massive contract offer could change everything.
When you talk about the last 20 years of the Las Vegas Raiders and even the Oakland Raiders, it’s hard not to talk about how much they have come up short on their quarterback decisions. You have to mention the position while focusing on the last two decades. The Raiders have maybe the biggest draft bust of all time in JaMarcus Russell, and Derek Carr, while he was a franchise guy, was never good enough to win a postseason game, let alone get them there more than twice. So, it’s a position that has been pretty polarizing over the last two decades, but not for the right reasons. Getting Geno Smith is about as smart a thing as the Raiders could have done this offseason, considering what the QB market was in free agency and the NFL Draft. However, he’s getting up there in age. Sure, his body may not have a ton of wear and tear on it, but the body still does age. Smith can’t play forever, so while he may be the guy this year and next year, the Raiders will eventually have to address the position again. And that could end up being next offseason, or the one after that, for all we know. And when that time comes, do we really know if the Raiders will be bad enough to have a top pick in the draft to get their next quarterback, and do we want them to continue to get older quarterbacks that we be gone in 2-3 years? The answer is no. So, they could, and should, be a candidate to trade for a quarterback who is in a very unique situation right now, and just needs a new start. Raiders should trade for Colts QB Anthony Richardson I already know what everyone is thinking – don’t you think I know he can’t throw the ball and has made some very questionable IQ plays over the last few years? Yes, I know that, but I’m not asking the Raiders to trade for a guy who is going to come in and be the starter right away. I’m asking them to trade for a guy who needs to sit behind a veteran guy and learn some more. Anthony Richardson was the former No. 4 overall pick by the Indianapolis Colts. He started four games in his first year after getting hurt for the year, and started 11 games last year before, ultimately, getting benched, and he was banged up a bit, too. But, he was taken that high for a reason, and anyone in their right mind can see the potential he has, but everyone should also be able to see the work he needs to do. But first, how did we get here with Anthony Richardson in the first place? And, will the Raiders even be able to trade for Richardson? The Colts made a puzzling decision by naming Daniel Jones the starter over Anthony Richardson ahead of the 2025 season. Now the question everyone around the league will ask is: "Will Anthony Richardson be made available via trade?" It's a good question, and I think normally the player would be, the Colts don't seem to want to do that, though. Richardson could force their hand, though, by requesting a trade. If he does, I think the Colts would have to at least listen to teams around the league. The Raiders would make a lot of sense as a destination with Pete Carroll being someone that many believed was very high on Richardson during his draft process. I think it would still take more draft capital than people realize, just due to the stubbornness of the Colts' decision makers. If I had to guess a fourth-round pick and maybe a player at a position of need, such as S, LB, or a depth offensive lineman. - Destin Adams, A to Z Sports Indianapolis Hear me out: The Raiders want to trade Aidan O’Connell, and he has shown that he may have some potential that hasn’t been tapped yet. But, he is also probably going to be a career backup, and it seems like that is a position the Colts usually need – a backup quarterback. Maybe you test the waters with O’Connell so they are still getting a backup in return, along with another player of sorts, and then a pick, not one too high, though. And, doing this trade makes sense from the standpoint of everything I have already explained about needing a future franchise guy, letting him sit and learn, but also that Pete Carroll is a huge fan of Richardson. And, he has a track record of turning guys around and finding that untapped potential. Now, if the asking price is too outrageous, of course, you don’t do this trade. But if it’s just right, I see no reason why John Spytek shouldn’t pull the trigger on it. Richardson played a handful of college football games at Florida, and he still needs some time to develop. He’ll get to do that behind one of the best pure passers this game has in Geno Smith.
Major League Baseball announced that Mariners outfielder Víctor Robles has received a 10-game suspension and an undisclosed fine from the league. The suspension will begin as soon as Robles is reinstated from the injured list, though Robles has filed an appeal and the suspension is being held in abeyance until the appeals process is complete. Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reported these details prior to the official announcement. Divish notes that the M’s would have to play a man short during the suspension. Robles has been on the injured list for most of the year. Back in early April, he made a sensational catch in San Francisco but crashed into the sideline netting and dislocated his left shoulder, causing a small fracture in the humeral head of said shoulder. A week ago, he was finally able to begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Tacoma. During that week, he was hit by pitches multiple times, as shown in this video breakdown from Jomboy Media. Although he was hit five times, only three of them were technically counted as hit-by-pitches, with the other two counting as swings. Regardless, the final incident saw Robles hit by Joey Estes of the Las Vegas Aviators. Of the five times Robles was hit, three of them were out of the hand of Estes, though the final two were counted as swinging strikes. Regardless of how it was scored, Robles was clearly upset and threw his bat toward the pitcher’s mound. It doesn’t appear as though it hit Estes or anyone else, but MLB is understandably taking a firm stance against a player using his bat in this dangerous manner and sending Robles a message. President of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto spoke to members of the media, including Adam Jude of the Seattle Times, noting that the club tentatively planned to reinstate Robles from the IL next week but those plans may change with the suspension. Divish suggests that perhaps the best plan is to reinstate Robles on Sept. 1, so that the M’s can at least play with a 27-man roster, though that would push his reinstatement into the middle of September. Reinstating him earlier would mean playing with a 25-man roster for a while, though that would also mean Robles would be able to be reinstated for more games. It’s also unclear how long the appeals process will take. Sometimes, players appealing a suspension will hang in limbo until their team goes to New York, where the MLB head offices are located. The M’s don’t play in New York again this year, so it’s not clear when the appeal would be scheduled for. Robles being in the minors could also complicate factors. The M’s would surely love for the appeal to drag out into the winter and for Robles to serve his suspension next year, since they are currently in a playoff race, though MLB presumably wouldn’t let it play out like that.
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