CINCINNATI – The Twins took two losses Monday. One will delay their timeline to clinch an American League Central title. The other could affect their postseason plans.
During a 7-3 loss to the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park, shortstop Carlos Correa exited after the first inning after he reaggravated the plantar fasciitis in his left foot.
It's an injury Correa has managed since May but said he felt "almost like a little pop" when he stopped under a fly ball in shallow left field in the bottom of the first inning. He told Kyle Farmer in the dugout to begin warming up and informed the coaching staff between innings that he needed to come out of the lineup.
"It was tough for me to move around," Correa said. "Even walking, I felt like there was a knife on my heel. Obviously, for me to come out in the first inning, it's got to take a lot. It was very painful."
Correa planned to see how his foot felt Tuesday before meeting with the training staff and coaching staff to determine the next step. The Twins had their magic number to earn a division title drop to five because the Cleveland Guardians lost 6-4 to the Kansas City Royals.
Before Monday's game, Correa said it was the best his foot felt all month. He was running well. He could shuffle around without feeling it. He thought he had a great pregame session in the batting cage.
"I guess feeling great is what we made me stop like that," Correa said. "Usually, when it's sore, I'm more cautious on how I stop. I was not even thinking about it today, to be honest, going into the game. Going after that fly ball, I was just running, feeling great and then I stopped like I've done my entire career. I forgot I had been dealing with that."
The Twins rested Correa for a couple of games last week after his foot pain began affecting his defense. Acting manager Jayce Tingler didn't want to speculate on the severity of Correa's injury, but it's possible Correa might see little playing time for the remainder of the regular season.
