Will Carlos Correa Return to the Minnesota Twins Lineup at All This Season?

Carlos Correa has been out of the Minnesota Twins lineup since July 12 . That’s 1.5 months that the ( 72-61 ) Twins lineup has been without its best hitter and 1.5 months that the rest of the defense has been playing out of position, trying to fill the infield without their shortstop.

To recap the situation, the near 30-year-old 2024 All-Star has been dealing with plantar fasciitis in his right foot . Not to be confused with the plantar fasciitis he dealt with in his left foot, for much of last season.

Already behind schedule in his recovery, Correa was ramping up for his return to the Twins lineup a few weeks ago, but suffered a setback when he tried to run in cleats. According to Aaron Gleeman (The Athletic) , his rehab plan changed, when that happened.

Carlos Correa return is not imminent

And ever since, progress to get back on the field has been slow non existent. Now, with September just two days away, Gleeman noted on Friday’s episode of the “Gleeman and The Geek” podcast that the shortstop’s return is not imminent. (06:00 mark — partially transcribed below)

“But Correa’s return is very much not imminent. I’m just speculating here, obviously, but I don’t think there’s been any significant progress. I think they’re frustrated by what’s developed here.”

“He basically said a couple of weeks ago, which would have been like two and a half weeks ago now or three weeks ago now, he had a setback while trying to run in cleats. That’s one of the last tests.

So they had to sort of restart it and take a different approach. And now there hasn’t been as much progress with that. So he’s already been out for what, two months basically? Seven weeks, maybe six weeks. I mean, put it this way, he will be out two months [total].”

Aaron Gleeman – Gleeman and The Geek Podcast

Correa will have to play through pain if/when he eventually returns to Minnesota Twins lineup

The question doesn’t seem to be whether or not Carlos Correa can return, or even whether or not he will return to the Minnesota Twins lineup, before the regular season is over. Gleeman believes he can, and likely will get back, at some point in September. But when that time comes, he won’t be near 100%.

Another local insider, Darren Wolfson (SKOR North, KSTP) has been saying pretty much the same thing on the Mackey and Judd Show , for a couple of weeks now. Correa is going to have to play through pain, when he returns to the Minnesota Twins lineup.

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His plantar fasciitis is not going to go away, in time for the playoffs. There’s just not enough time left in the regular season. So the question then becomes, how much pain can Carlos Correa play through? And at what point is an injured Correa a worse option, at shortstop, than his replacements, Brooks Lee and Willi Castro?

That’s the battle that the Twins and their $33 million superstar are going to wrestle with for the next month. Does he play through the pain, and get back on the field ASAP, at say 65%, how effective is he?

Is an injured superstar shortstop better than a healthy average shortstop?

Would he and the coaching staff be better off resting him as deep into September as possible, in order to have his right foot in the best possible shape, as we near October? That makes sense, but it’s not that simple. Remember, Correa hasn’t played in 6 weeks.

“The question is like, okay, well, if he’s not going to help you, then maybe you just give him the maximum amount of time off, which they’ve already gone almost two months, but you could give him another three weeks, let’s say, and have him just try to play the last homestand of the season, which is six games.

There’s two problems with that. One, you got to make the playoffs for that to matter. Then two, he will then not only be jumping in at a diminished capacity, although hopefully the extra rest maybe will have helped a little bit, but he won’t have played then hardly at all. What are you getting in the playoffs?”

Aaron Gleeman – Gleeman and The Geek Podcast

By the final week of September, the minor league season will be over, so Correa won’t be able to ramp up with a rehab assignment. Throwing him into the playoff lineup cold may not be the best idea either.

In other words, there is no happy ending to this 2024 Carlos Correa plantar fasciitis story. When/if he is able to return, we aren’t going to get the All-Star we saw in the first half of the season.

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We just have to hope he gets as close to that guy as possible, and that the Minnesota Twins can turn their current losing streak around, so they are in a position to make the postseason, when decision time eventually comes.

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