Caitlin Clark will watch the Indiana Fever’s playoff push from the sidelines.

The Fever clinched a playoff berth with a 94-65 win over the Washington Mystics on Sunday, but they’ll enter the postseason without their star player. Clark, who hasn’t played since July 15 due to quad and groin injuries, confirmed last week that she’s out for the season.

Clark is itching to get back to action. The 23-year-old posted a black-and-white photo of her celebrating on the court during a game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse with a simple message.

“I miss this so bad,” Clark wrote on Instagram.

Clark’s frustrating second season

Caitlin Clark walking off court.

Clark became the talk of the WNBA upon last year’s arrival. The No. 1 pick won Rookie of the Year with 19.2 points and a league-leading 8.4 assists per game, setting rookie records for three-pointers and triple-doubles.

The NCAA’s all-time leading scorer entered her sophomore season with MVP buzz after finishing fourth on last year’s ballot. Unfortunately, injuries derailed those lofty hopes.

Clark has played just 13 games this season, averaging 16.5 points on a diminished 36.7 field-goal percentage. The two-time All-Star struggled when returning from a two-week absence in July, making just 17 of 55 field goals and six of 26 threes through four games.

Clark re-aggravated her injury in an 85-77 victory over the Connecticut Sun. While the Fever initially expressed optimism about the point guard returning this season, Clark revealed the unfortunate news of her shutdown last Thursday.

“I had hoped to share a better update, but I will not be returning to play this season,” Clark wrote on Instagram. “I spent hours in the gym every day with the singular goal of getting back out there. Disappointed isn’t a big enough word to describe how I am feeling.”

Fever aren’t finished despite Clark’s absence

Injuries have decimated a Fever backcourt that also lost Sophie Cunningham, Aari McDonald, and Sydney Colson for the season. Yet Indiana keeps fighting, punching a playoff ticket with four wins in its last six games.

At 23-20, the Fever have secured their first winning record in 10 years. They also haven’t won a playoff game since making the WNBA Finals in 2015.

The Fever harbored more realistic title aspirations entering the season, but they’ll look to make some playoff noise without Clark. They conclude the regular season on Tuesday night against the top-seeded Minnesota Lynx.