CHICAGO — Three and a half weeks since he last played, the Twins are still in wait-and-see mode as Carlos Correa recovers from right plantar fasciitis.
Correa was originally expected to sit the final two games before the All-Star break and return to action the following weekend, however, the last time the Twins’ All-Star shortstop played was July 12 in San Francisco.
Despite the lengthy absence, the Twins were still without a set timeline for Correa’s return to the field as of Tuesday night.
Though manager Rocco Baldelli deemed Correa as “getting close” to starting a rehab assignment, the Twins still aren’t quite sure when he’ll be ready to go, nor what they can expect from him when he is.
“It’ll be day to day,” Baldelli said. “I actually don’t know the answer to that. I have no answer to that. I have not thought about that. I don’t plan on mapping too many things out beforehand, especially without talking to (athletic trainer Nick Paparesta). Nick will probably be the driver on what Carlos is going to be capable of day to day. … We’re just going to treat him right.”
How the Twins decided to treat Correa shifted from the original plan.
All along, Correa and the Twins suggested they wanted to avoid pushing through pain, something he did last season to the detriment of his offensive performance. Playing through constant pain, Correa produced some of the worst numbers of his career, which prompted the team letting him rest longer this time around.
At first, the Twins opted to simply let Correa, who dealt with left plantar fasciitis throughout the 2023 season, rest his foot. Then during the middle of the All-Star break, it was decided Correa would receive a platelet-rich plasma injection in his heel and mobilize his foot in a walking boot. Doctors informed Correa the injection initially would cause him pain, though it would dissipate after a week.
Correa didn’t accompany the Twins on their three-game trip to Wrigley Field. When he last addressed media on Saturday, Correa said pain in his heel diminished in the middle of last week.
Though Correa didn’t divulge a timeline for his return, he did discuss the possibility of going on a rehab assignment, which Baldelli confirmed Monday eventually would happen.
“Last time I didn’t get any at-bats, and it took me two, three games to get back to form, and then you’re playing catch-up,” Correa said. “ I think we’re in a good spot, and hopefully, I can get back in there as soon as possible. … We have a timeline, but I don’t want to talk about it just yet. I want to go a couple more days and see how this keeps progressing, and go from there.”
“I feel like everybody contributed today in a win. That’s what special teams are made of.”#MNTwins star Carlos Correa on the gritty win over the White Sox in 11 innings. pic.twitter.com/whF87k9uxS
— Bally Sports North (@BallySportsNOR) July 9, 2024
As of Saturday, Correa was jogging, hitting and taking ground balls. Team officials said Correa is staying in game shape and his swing looks good, but he’s still experiencing occasional soreness in his heel. To be activated, Correa said he needs to be able to run sprints without pain.
“When that moment gets there, I will let you know,” he said.
There was no announcement regarding Correa’s status on Tuesday. Despite missing their best all-around player, Correa, hitting .308/.377/.520 with 13 home runs and 47 RBIs in 317 plate appearances, the Twins are 10-8 in his absence after Tuesday’s 7-3 loss to the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field.
“Sooner than later,” Baldelli offered. “He’s doing well. He’s getting close.”
Even with a critical four-game series against Cleveland starting Friday, the Twins are committed to not rushing back Correa. Even though the Twins want Correa in the lineup, they believe getting him right is the proper play and will prove beneficial later in the season.
“Every game feels like the most important thing, and it is at that moment,” Baldelli said. “But the long game for us, with the players that we have, is probably more important at this point in the season.”
Twins fall to Cubs
Pablo Lopez felt off the mark in a 7-3 loss to the Cubs. Whereas he’d felt in a rhythm over his previous seven starts, López made several mistakes and Chicago’s hitters made him pay for them.
Chicago pieced together a two-out rally in the first inning and López left a 2-2 fastball over the middle to Isaac Paredes, who greeted him with a three-run homer. Acquired from Tampa Bay last week, Paredes also singled in a run against López, who allowed four earned runs and seven hits while striking out only two in five innings.
“It sucked that everything happened after two outs,” López said. “But I was trying to make a good pitch on that outer lane. The ball leaked over, and that’s how they make their money. They capitalize on mistakes.”
The Twins managed only a Royce Lewis two-run homer against Cubs All-Star Shota Imanaga, who was dominant for seven innings. Imanaga struck out a career high 10 batters to snap the Twins’ five-game winning streak.
“Overall, on the mound I felt a little out of whack.” #MNTwins starter Pablo Lopez after the loss to the Cubs. pic.twitter.com/rw2ocYKbEO
— Bally Sports North (@BallySportsNOR) August 7, 2024
Twins won’t reorganize rotation
They considered it, but the Twins opted against pushing back Joe Ryan’s next start to Friday. Rather than move Ryan to pitch in one of two games Friday against Cleveland, the Twins announced he’d pitch in Wednesday’s series finale. Bailey Ober is set to start one game of the doubleheader with the other starter to be determined.
“We’re not going to rearrange everything we have going on right now because of a series that we have coming up,” Baldelli said. “I don’t think that’s the right thing to do. … This is not the last week of the season. We have a long way to go. We have a ton of games to play against good teams coming up. We want to keep our guys on a good, consistent schedule. We just want to stick with what we’ve got.”
Potpurri
Byron Buxton sat a second straight game on Tuesday, with Baldelli acknowledging the center fielder is dealing with lower back tightness. Before the game, Baldelli wouldn’t rule out that Buxton might play late Tuesday or on Wednesday if his back continued to improve after he slammed into the outfield fence in Sunday’s win. Regardless if he played in Chicago or not, Baldelli said Buxton would play Friday.
Originally slated to start at shortstop on Tuesday, Brooks Lee (sore right shoulder) was moved to second base to avoid longer throws, Baldelli said. Lee sat out the team’s previous two games but worked at shortstop during infield practice on Monday. … Baldelli used Jhoan Duran in the eighth inning in Monday’s win in order to ensure he’d pitch in the game. Duran warmed up in the bullpen on Friday and Sunday but didn’t appear in either game because the Twins scored late in both and pulled away from the Chicago White Sox. With Griffin Jax already pitching in two of the previous three games, Baldelli opted to use Duran in the eighth inning of a two-run game to make sure he pitched. Jax then pitched the ninth, converting his eighth save of the season. … Kyle Farmer (right shoulder strain) started a rehab assignment and went 0-for-4 at Triple-A St. Paul on Tuesday. … Right-handed reliever Justin Topa is expected to pitch one inning for St. Paul on Wednesday.
(Top photo of Carlos Correa: Michael Reaves / Getty Images)
