MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Twins placed All-Star shortstop Carlos Correa on the injured list on Saturday for treatment of plantar fasciitis in his right foot, giving him the precautionary rest he didn’t get last season for the same condition in the other foot.
Starting pitcher Chris Paddack also landed on the injured list with a right forearm strain before the game against Milwaukee, after he experienced tightness during the break.
Utility player Austin Martin (right oblique strain) was reinstated from the IL and second baseman Edouard Julien was recalled from Triple-A St. Paul to fill the roster spots, but the five-day break didn’t give the banged-up Twins much of a lift. Infielders Royce Lewis (strained right groin) and Jose Miranda (strained lower back) and backup Kyle Farmer (strained right shoulder) remained on the IL, among other players who’ve been on longer-term timetables.
Correa was held out of the All-Star Game on Tuesday because of the condition he largely played through in his left foot last season. This version appears to be less severe, but he had a platelet-rich plasma injection during the break that will keep him in a walking boot for a couple of days.
Correa’s absence is expected to be much shorter than a month, manager Rocco Baldelli said, but the trick for the Twins will be making the call on when to clear him considering how much his performance suffered while pushing through the injury in 2023.
Correa is batting .308 with an .896 OPS for his best marks in seven years. He has 13 home runs, 47 RBIs and 51 runs in 75 games. For now, Willi Castro — a first-time All-Star — will be the primary shortstop, with rookie Brooks Lee at third base for Lewis and Julien back at second base, where he began the season before a major slump. Julien batted .207 with seven homers and 17 RBIs in 58 games in his first stint.
Lewis missed his 12th straight game with his latest injury, after he missed 58 games earlier this season because of a strained right quadriceps.
Lewis was taking batting practice and running before the game on Saturday. He said his body “feels great” and that he’s just biding his time for clearance from the medical staff. Baldelli said Lewis will likely play on a brief rehab assignment next week.
“I think (if) it was playoffs or if they’d let me, I’d definitely be out there. I feel that good,” Lewis said, later adding: “I believe that they are doing what’s best for me, but I feel great and whenever I feel great I want to go now, because I hate missing time. I’m over it.” Paddack’s turn in the rotation will have to be filled on Wednesday. After being sidelined briefly with arm fatigue, he made two starts before the break before his latest setback. Baldelli said there’s no structural concern with Paddack’s surgically repaired elbow and that his stint on the IL shouldn’t be long.
“His elbow seems fine, the ligament seems fine, everything seems fine,” Baldelli said. “There’s some sign, I believe, that it’s some sort of muscle strain and should heal up OK.”
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