Twins place Carlos Correa, Chris Paddack on injured list on first day back from All-Star break

A five-day break from work will put anyone in a good mood. So even in the face of losing a couple of key Twins to the injured list as they reconvened Saturday, their ever-optimistic manager was upbeat in insisting that neither player’s condition is as alarming as it sounds.

Yes, All-Star shortstop Carlos Correa is wearing a walking boot on his right foot after receiving an injection of platelet-rich plasma in his heel, Rocco Baldelli said shortly before Correa went on the injured list for the second time this season. Yes, it’s plantar fasciitis, the same condition, albeit in the other foot, that largely suppressed his production at the plate last summer, but “we don’t think [he will miss] several weeks to a month. We think it’s going to be shorter than that.”

And yes, righthander Chris Paddack, who has started 11 victories for the Twins this season, is headed back to the IL for the second time this month, Baldelli said, after experiencing pain in his right elbow Sunday in San Francisco. It’s the same elbow that has required Tommy John ligament replacement surgery twice already, but “the ligament seems fine,” Baldelli said. “I believe that it’s some sort of muscle strain, something that should heal up OK.”

So decide for yourself whether Saturday’s developments are good news or bad. They were definitely happy transactions for Edouard Julien, who was called up from Class AAA St. Paul and immediately put into Saturday’s lineup against Milwaukee at second base, and Austin Martin, who was activated from the IL, his right oblique strain no longer an issue.

But the injury-list machinations have been so extensive lately, Baldelli pulled a list out of his pocket in order to give updates on the entire clinic’s worth of patients.

Byron Buxton, for instance, was in center field after his right elbow, bruised by a collision with the wall in San Francisco, caused him to miss a couple of games.

Jose Miranda, however, was not as fortunate. His lower back, which locked up last weekend, “feels way better now. Much better,” he said. But he will need a few more days, and perhaps a rehab stint with the Saints, before the Twins activate him.

That’s the case for fellow infielder Royce Lewis, too. The Saints return home Tuesday, and Lewis, out three weeks now, could join them soon afterward.

For now, though, Baldelli’s focus is on filling Correa’s spot at shortstop — Willi Castro figures to get most of the playing time there, Baldelli said, with Julien handling second base and Brooks Lee remaining at third — and Paddack’s spot in the rotation. A replacement will be called up by Wednesday to start the series finale vs. Philadelphia, but Baldelli said the Twins aren’t ready to announce who it will be. David Festa made the past two fill-in starts for Paddack.

It’s getting difficult to remember who is on the roster and who isn’t, Baldelli said.

“It’s hard to know all of the different moves that you can make when your roster changes that much. You can pretend to look through it, but there’s too many different scenarios,” he said. “So you just have to wait until the game starts, and then you see it better.”

Lewis stayed in Minnesota over the break to continue his recovery from the adductor strain that has kept him off the field.

And now? “I’m ready for the vacation to be over,” Lewis said with a smile.

He took batting practice, fielded ground balls and did his usual lifting program while Target Field was empty last week, he said. Most importantly, considering his two major injuries this season were suffered while on the bases, he did plenty of running.

“I felt really good running,” Lewis said. “Everything’s going good, so we’re taking day-by-day. I’m not sure, but I think if it was the playoffs, I’d definitely be out there. I feel that good.”

The flight cancellations that were caused by Friday’s computer outages had an effect on the Twins, too. Injured infielder Kyle Farmer has been unable to return from Georgia, where he spent the All-Star break. Joe Ryan and Jhoan Duran had to rebook flights, but both pitchers made it to Target Field shortly before Saturday’s game.

And assistant athletic trainer Masa Abe, who returned to his homeland, “is still stuck in Japan,” Baldelli said. “I think he has to sit there and fly standby now, so we think he’s literally going to be sitting in the airport, waiting for his name to be called. So we’re a trainer short right now.”

In addition, Julien’s equipment bag hadn’t arrived in time Saturday, so he borrowed a set of cleats from catcher Christian Vázquez and a glove from coach Tony Diaz.

Anthony Prato had three hits, including a triple, scored three times and drove in four runs and the Saints had 19 hits in beating host Toledo for the second night in a row, winning 11-3. Adam Plutko gave up two runs on six hits and one walk in 5⅓ innings, striking out six.