Correa aggravates plantar fasciitis, exits in 1st inning

CINCINNATI -- The Twins recently gave Carlos Correa two days off his feet to help him manage the plantar fasciitis pain in his left heel that has hampered him since May.

But did it help? And, at this point, will any amount of rest be enough to get Correa closer to full strength for the postseason?

That seemingly remains up in the air after Correa had to exit Monday night’s 7-3 loss to the Reds with an aggravation of the plantar fasciitis due to a popup he chased into shallow left field in the first inning. With the Twins’ magic number continuing to drop, figuring out that answer will have to be one of the club’s foremost priorities ahead of the postseason.

• Games remaining: at CIN (2), vs. LAA (3), vs. OAK (3), at COL (3)
• Standings update: The Twins (79-72) hold a seven-game lead on the Guardians (72-79) for the American League Central title. Cleveland clinched the tiebreaker by winning the season series, 7-6. Minnesota is currently the third-best division winner, meaning it would host a best-of-three Wild Card Series vs. the final Wild Card entrant starting on Oct. 3.
• Magic number: 5 (for AL Central)

“I felt a small little tweak there in the heel,” Correa said. “It just got painful, real painful after that. Obviously, I’ve been trying to manage this for a while now. Some days after are better than others. Today really felt like a great day until that moment. We’ll see. I usually respond well a couple of days after.”

Correa said last Friday in Chicago that he and the Twins have “tried everything” to resolve the issue since it first started bothering him in late May. He has played in 90 of the team’s 102 games since then, starting 89 of them, despite continuing to feel the pain and having it hamper both his hitting and his defense, having felt that it’s his job to be out there for his team.

But even after sitting out last Tuesday’s series finale against Tampa Bay and Wednesday’s series opener against the White Sox, the stress caused by stopping on a TJ Friedl popup behind him proved too much for the foot. The lingering soreness has made everything more difficult this season for Correa, from moving around on defense to simply walking around at home in the mornings.

Correa said that he felt emboldened to plant his foot on the popup like he normally would, instead of being gentle, because the two-day rest had him feeling the best he had in a month leading into the game. The Twins will have to wait and see how he feels on Tuesday, but Correa indicated that he could be open to a rest period to have him at his best for possible postseason games.

“[If] I keep pushing through this, it’s not going to get any better,” Correa said. “I’m not going to get any better. I’m not going to move any better. Maybe some rest and just show up and play meaningful games will probably be best.

“But at the same time, we haven’t clinched yet, and we don’t have a spot in the postseason just yet cemented. We have to figure out a way to get that done, and then we can make those decisions.”

The Twins have noted throughout the season that plantar fasciitis pain isn’t something that typically goes away with days or even weeks of rest; it can sometimes require months to feel right, as attested by manager Rocco Baldelli, who dealt with the issue during his own playing career.

But it has been important for Correa throughout the season to remain on the field for his team, even at less than 100 percent.

“I’m getting paid to play baseball, right?” Correa said Friday. “If I feel like I can go out there and at least be a certain percentage where I can just play and try to help the team, I’m going to show up. I don’t like being on the IL. I don’t like sitting out. I don’t like watching from the sidelines. I just feel like it’s my job to just go out there.”

Due to the heel pain, Correa has struggled to a .230/.312/.399 line this season and has set a new Twins record with 30 double-play grounders. But if a rest could help him get back to that point, the baseball world is all too familiar with what Correa can do in the playoffs when healthy.

“We have to see how I wake up tomorrow and then we have to make some decisions as a team,” Correa said. “We have to meet with [head athletic trainer Nick Paparesta] and obviously Rocco when we get back, and [we'll] see what’s best for me heading down the stretch and going into the postseason.”