Carlos Correa skips rehab assignment, returns to Twins: ‘I feel as ready as I can be’

Carlos Correa, wearing custom New Balance cleats with special insoles, was back in the Twins lineup Saturday after missing the past 51 games.

The pain in his right heel is more manageable as he battles plantar fasciitis, but the Twins’ dwindling lead in the wild card race took away the option of taking a rehab assignment.

“Frankly, I think if we had noticeably more time, he would have gone out on a rehab assignment,” Twins Manager Rocco Baldelli said. “But he also was adamant that, ‘I will be ready. I will come back and play. I don’t have to play in minor league games.’ The confidence level in the way that he talked about it probably played a big part in it.”

Correa took live batting practice at-bats against minor league pitchers at Target Field over the past five days in lieu of a rehab assignment, and he’s continued his daily defensive drills.

“I feel as ready as I can be,” said Correa, who was sidelined shortly a couple of days before the All-Star break. “We’re going to go out there and perform the best way possible. It’s all about the wins right now.”

Correa was frustrated by his injury. The pain became much worse than he initially imagined. He was having one of the best offensive seasons in his career, earning a spot on the All-Star team.

Saturday marked just the 18th game of the Twins season with Correa, Byron Buxton and Royce Lewis in the lineup together.

“I felt like I was at my best right before the injury,” Correa said. “That’s one of the things that hurt the most. I wanted to see the season play out the way it was going. But at the same time, the feelings, the thought process and the routine are still going to be there. Hopefully, we can hit the ground right away running and go out and perform. It [was disappointing] to go down at the level I was playing, but it’s what happened. We have to deal with it and now we have to focus on the now.”

The Twins had four minor league pitchers from Class A-Advanced pitch to their rehabbing hitters after their minor league season ended. Could that be a model for the future to bypass rehab games?

Correa, Buxton and Manuel Margot were all activated from the injured list in the past week while the St. Paul Saints were on a road trip.

“You need to find the right guys that can do it, that you feel comfortable doing it with,” Baldelli said. “Normally, those guys are more advanced and they’re playing in their own seasons. During the year, I’d say it’s much more difficult to do it than it is in September. If you have affiliates that are really close by, it helps even more.”

Reds reliever Emilio Pagán regularly texts his former Twins teammates and he watches many Twins games when they’re not playing at the same time as him.

“There are some good memories with what we were able to accomplish last year, winning the first playoff game in a long time for this organization,” said Pagán, who pitched a scoreless inning against the Twins on Friday. “It’s cool to be back. Special place. Special memories for me and my career.”

Pagán spent two seasons with the Twins, recording a 3.67 ERA and 10 saves over 125 appearances, before signing a two-year, $16 million contract with the Reds last winter, which includes the ability to opt out after this season.

The Twins, who made Carlos Santana’s one-year, $5.25 million deal their largest signing of the offseason, told Pagán early in the offseason that they weren’t bringing him back.

“Credit to the Twins, man, they were very upfront and honest with me from the get-go,” said Pagán, who has a 3.57 ERA in 35 games. “They thought that I had kind of priced myself out of where they were going to be able to get to. They communicated that from the jump. Obviously, I would’ve loved to come back. I think a lot of guys would’ve loved to come back, but I appreciated them being so honest.

“I’m thankful to them and proud of what we were able to accomplish. I wish we could’ve done more.”

• Twins prospect Emmanuel Rodriguez was placed on the St. Paul Saints’ injured list Thursday because of a right thumb sprain, ending his season after 47 games and 209 plate appearances. Rodriguez, a 21-year-old center fielder, posted a .459 on-base percentage playing mostly at Class AA with nine homers, 14 doubles, 27 RBI and 47 runs.

• Host Columbus hit three solo homers in the third inning off Travis Adams and beat the Saints 8-3, their fourth loss in a row.