The Fever will be especially lacking in depth when they take on the Sky at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Saturday. Indiana will have just nine players available for the game after guards Sydney Colson and Aari McDonald suffered season-ending injuries during the Fever's 90–65 loss to the Mercury on Thursday. Colson suffered a torn ACL and McDonald broke a bone in her foot.
This puts the Fever without Colson, McDonald and Caitlin Clark, who has missed 18 games this season due to quad and groin injuries. Currently, league rules allow for a maximum of 12 players to be on a roster. WNBA hardship rules allow for a team to add extra players to the roster when they fall below 10 active on the roster, but the Fever will not be able to sign another player until after their game against the Sky, per Alexa Philippou of ESPN.
The Fever's active roster versus the Sky will include Kelsey Mitchell, Aliyah Boston, Lexie Hull, Natasha Howard, Sophie Cunningham, Chloe Bibby, Makalya Timpson, Brianna Turner and Damiris Dantas. Mitchell, Boston, Hull and Howard are the only active players that have started at least 10 games this season, and likely will be leaned on against Chicago.
Following Saturday's game, the Fever will get the opportunity to add another player to the roster before their matchup against the Wings on Tuesday. With Colson and McDonald out for the season and no timeline for Clark's return, adding another player will be key for Indiana to have some semblance of depth as they continue their postseason push.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Why the Fever Can Only Have Nine Active Players for Saturday's Game vs. Sky.
