Twins' Carlos Correa hopes to 'hit the ground running'

Correa was reinstated from the injured list on Saturday after missing the last 51 games.

Minnesota Twins shortstop Carlos Correa (4) rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run against the Chicago White Sox during the seventh inning at Guaranteed Rate Field in Chicago on July 8, 2024. / Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

Star Minnesota Twins shortstop Carlos Correa knew he was playing some of his best baseball when he started dealing with right plantar fasciitis. Finding himself on the injured list during that hot stretch hurt Correa perhaps as much as the heel. He’s now missed all 51 games since the All-Star break. 

“I wanted to see it play out the way it was going, but at the same time, the feels and the thought process and the routine is still going to be there, so hopefully we can hit the ground right away running and just go and perform,” Correa said. “But yeah, it sucked to go down at the level that I was playing, but it’s what happened and we got to deal with it and now we got to focus on the now and go out there and help the team win games.” 

The Twins reinstated Correa from the injured list on Saturday, and Correa is starting at shortstop and batting sixth in the lineup in Saturday’s game against the Cincinnati Reds at Target Field in Minneapolis. While he's back for the first time since July 12, the heel issue isn’t fully behind him.

Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said it is a situation where Correa will be playing through some pain. Correa said he won't be able to play every day — he'll have to work in rest days here and there — but he's excited to be back in the Twins lineup Saturday night and hopes to help lead them to a win.

“I feel great,” he said. “Just going out there and try to get my rhythm right away and contribute off the bat, that’s what you want to do when you get activated. But at the same time, we got to go out there and win some games, and that’s the most important thing.” 

Correa’s return comes a day after the Twins welcomed center fielder Byron Buxton back into the fold, and for the first time since July 2, Correa, Buxton and third baseman Royce Lewis are all in the lineup together. Twins manager Rocco Baldelli noted how as the season is winding down, his lineup is looking closer and closer to what they had envisioned for when October rolls around.

Buxton homered in his first game back Friday night. Can Correa do the same? 

“I loved it. I loved it. I hope I can do it, and then (Buxton) can do it again, and then we can get a win and we’ll be happy. It will be a good start to getting activated,” Correa said. 

It truly was a great first half from Correa before the injury, on Baldelli argued might be the best first half of his career. He was slashing .308/.520/.896 with 13 homers and 47 RBIs in the 75 games before the injury. Correa is hopeful he can pick up where he left off. But no matter what, it's been good vibes at Target Field with the Twins bringing back two of their most important players in the past two days.

“You can’t get any more positive news than that,” Baldelli said. “We get our shortstop back, he’s excited. … He’s excited to be back out there on the field and help us win games right now. So I couldn’t be more excited to write his name in the lineup.”