The Phoenix Mercury were hit with a devastating injury update ahead of their final stretch of the regular season. Currently outside of the playoffs looking in, the Mercury will be down one of their star players for the remainder of the season. According to Alexa Philippou of ESPN, Diana Taurasi will see her 2022 season come to an early close due to a lingering quad strain that has kept her sidelined since last week against the Connecticut Sun.

Taurasi managed just 11 minutes in last week's game against Connecticut before being removed due to the quad injury. While the team was hopeful that she could return before long, it looks as if she hasn't progressed well and will be forced to miss the final three games of the regular season.

With Taurasi sidelined, the Mercury have signed Yvonne Turner to a hardship contract in order to help replace the star forward. Across 31 games this year, the 39-year-old Taurasi has averaged 16.7 points, 3.4 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and has shot at a 33.7% clip from beyond the arc. The WNBA's greatest-ever 3-point shooter is knocking down 3.0 3-pointers per game in 2022, one of the best marks of her career.

Diana Taurasi has spent her entire WNBA career with the Mercury, dating all the way back to 2004. She is the team's second-leading scorer on the season after Tina Charles was released and subsequently signed with the Seattle Storm. Only Skylar Diggins-Smith (19.7 PPG) is averaging more points on the year for the Mercury.

Phoenix sits in eighth place in the league with just three games left on the docket. If they can maintain their position in the standings, they'll be the final playoff team in the WNBA. It's unclear if Taurasi will be able to return for a playoff run, if Phoenix qualifies, though it's hard to imagine her sitting it out.