Fever's Caitlin Clark out at least 2 weeks with quad strain

Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark will be out at least two weeks with a left quad strain, the team announced Monday.

Further updates will be provided following reevaluation, the team said.

Fever coach Stephanie White said that she wasn't sure when the injury happened but that Clark reported some pain in her leg after the team's loss to the New York Liberty on Saturday. Clark subsequently underwent an MRI and was diagnosed with the strain, although White said she did not know its grade.

Clark was not present for the open viewing portion of practice Monday. White said she was unsure whether Clark will travel with the team while she is out.

Last year's Rookie of the Year and a first-team All-WNBA selection, Clark is averaging 19.0 points and a league-best 9.3 assists through four games this season.

"It's a great opportunity for our team to find an identity, it's a great opportunity for our team play in a different way, and I also think it's a great opportunity for Caitlin to watch the game from the sideline and to grow almost a coaching mind and mindset and see some different things that we may be talking about on film, addressing in practice, to see it develop in live action," White said.

This marks the first regular-season games Clark will have missed in her young WNBA career. Clark was equally durable in college, never missing a game while at Iowa, where she became the all-time leading scorer in NCAA Division I basketball.

However, the point guard dealt with a left quad injury during training camp, and sat out a preseason contest versus the Washington Mystics with what she described as quad tightness. She told local media at the time that it was from "probably just a little too much basketball." But this issue, while on the same leg, is a new injury, according to a team spokesperson.

"Obviously, she's a competitor and wants to play. Obviously, everyone wants to watch her play. But for me, it's maintaining perspective," White said. "It's making sure that we address this in a way that doesn't affect long term, that we take care of it, don't over-push, don't overexert, making sure that we take the long-game approach to this so that we're not having lingering issues throughout the course of the season. Sometimes great players don't tell you when they're hurting. I'm glad that she did, because we need to nip this in the bud."

The Fever (2-2) next travel to Baltimore, where they'll face the Mystics (2-3) on Wednesday in their first game without Clark. After that, Indiana will host the Connecticut Sun on Friday and the Mystics on June 3 before heading back on the road to play the Chicago Sky on June 7 and the Atlanta Dream on June 10.

Following news of her injury, Clark's odds to win the WNBA MVP award lengthened from -115 to +210, according to ESPN BET. Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier's odds shortened from +185 to -135, making her the new favorite, while Las Vegas Aces center A'ja Wilson moved from +825 to +600. The Fever lengthened from +300 to +330 to win the WNBA title.

ESPN's Doug Greenberg contributed to this report.