Injury Bug Strikes Carlos Correa, Royce Lewis as Twins Inch Closer to AL Central Division Title
With a ninth AL Central Division title in sight, the Minnesota Twins are knocking on the door of punching their ticket to the 2023 postseason. To cross the finish line, however, they’ll have to overcome a pair of injuries on the position player side.
The Twins entered Wednesday’s series finale against the Cincinnati Reds with their magic number to clinch the division at just three games. But one player they’ll be without as they aim to trim that figure is shortstop Carlos Correa, who landed on the 10-day IL prior to first pitch.
Correa, diagnosed with plantar fasciitis in his left foot in May, reaggravated the injury on a play during Monday’s contest at Great American Ball Park, forcing him to depart early. He underwent an MRI on Tuesday, which confirmed he’d require an IL stint.
Needing to fill a roster spot, the Twins recalled outfielder Trevor Larnach – who’s hit .216/.314/.401 with six home runs and 32 RBIs in 50 big-league games this season – from triple-A St. Paul in a corresponding move.
Twins interim manager Jayce Tingler – filling in while skipper Rocco Baldelli is away from the club after his wife gave birth to twins – is confident that Correa will return for the postseason. It’s still possible the 28-year-old could be activated before the regular season concludes.
Nick Paparesta, Minnesota’s head athletic trainer, revealed the All-Star shortstop suffered a full-thickness tear of the central cortex of his plantar fascia in his left foot. However, there’s hope it’ll relieve the pain he’s endured thus far.
For Correa, missing the playoffs due to injury isn’t an option. No matter what it takes to return, he intends to be on the field for Game 1 of the American League wild-card series next month.
Grinding through much of this season with that foot ailment has understandably hindered Correa’s 2023 results, leading to just 18 home runs, 65 RBIs, a .230/.312/.399 slash line and a 96 wRC+ across 135 games. He’s also been worth a career-low 1.1 fWAR.
That production, of course, has been disappointing for the longtime Houston Astro, whose off-season saw multiple deals nixed due to past injury concerns before inking a six-year, $200-million contract to rejoin the Twins.
On top of that, Minnesota will also be without the services of third baseman Royce Lewis, who’s currently day-to-day with left hamstring discomfort. The 24-year-old was removed from Tuesday’s contest after tweaking something in his leg during his final at-bat.
Lewis plans to undergo an MRI in Minnesota on Thursday morning, which should provide further clarity regarding his status. Tingler did, however, reveal he was feeling much better and rode a stationary bike prior to Wednesday’s finale.
The Twins’ first-overall selection from 2017 has battled numerous injuries throughout his young career, including two ACL tears. He returned from his most recent one earlier this season, crushing 15 home runs and 52 RBIs in just 58 games following his return.
While Minnesota can comfortably afford to rest Correa and Lewis, the timing of their injuries certainly isn’t ideal, with less than two weeks until the club’s wild-card series arrives.
-Thomas Hall
Twitter: @ThomasHall85
Photo: Arturo Pardavila III. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.