Carlos Correa not expected to rejoin Twins for series against Guardians

CHICAGO – Carlos Correa is unlikely to join the Twins during their four-game series against the Cleveland Guardians this weekend as he continues to recover from plantar fasciitis in his right foot.

“He’s ramping up his running right now,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said Wednesday. “He’s not sprinting yet. When he’s able to sprint and run the way he needs to, he’s going to go on a rehab assignment and go get some at-bats. Then he’ll be on his way back at that point. He has not hit that point yet.”

Correa hasn’t played since July 12. He fielded ground balls at Target Field last weekend and he has no issues swinging, but he still felt some pain in his heel. He received a platelet-rich plasma injection and spent time in a walking boot after the All-Star break.

The All-Star shortstop said he wanted to spend two or three games on a rehab assignment because he felt rusty at the plate trying to return after a stint on the injured list earlier this year.

“Every game feels like the most important thing, and it is at that moment, but the long game for us, with the players that we have, is probably more important at this point in the season,” Baldelli said.

Correa was batting .308 with 13 homers, 47 RBI and a .377 on-base percentage in 75 games this year.

The Twins are expected to promote Louie Varland for Friday’s doubleheader against the Guardians and he is scheduled to start one of the games.

Varland has posted a 1.19 ERA in his last four starts with the Class AAA St. Paul Saints, totaling 27 strikeouts and nine walks in 22⅔ innings.

In the major leagues this season, he’s yielded a 6.58 ERA through five starts (six appearances). He lost his spot in the starting rotation in April, but he made two appearances in June against Colorado and Oakland.

Bailey Ober is scheduled to start the other game in Friday’s doubleheader.

Since returning from Class AAA last month, Matt Wallner ranks as one of the most productive hitters in the major leagues.

Wallner is batting .357 with eight doubles, five homers, 11 RBI and a .471 on-base percentage over his last 19 games. He crushed an RBI double to center in the first inning, the ball leaving his bat at 114.4 mph for the hardest-hit ball in the game.

“We saw Wally swinging the bat like this in the second half last year,” Baldelli said. “Now we’re seeing it again. He really is a dynamic hitter. He’s got that special strength to his swing where he just puts a good swing on the ball. You, me and the next person put the same swing on the ball and it’s a fly ball. With him, it’s a double off the top of the fence or a home run that is not even close to staying in the ballpark.”

Wallner is prone to strikeouts, but he isn’t missing many pitches inside the strike zone.

“It’s not luck. It’s not by accident. It’s actual work and pointed work,” Baldelli said. “He stayed focused. He didn’t make any excuses when the beginning of the year hit him, and it hit him hard.”

* Justin Topa pitched a scoreless inning with two strikeouts and Kyle Farmer hit an RBI double in four at-bats during their rehab assignments with St. Paul on Wednesday in a 4-2 win over Columbus at CHS Field. Payton Eeles added two hits, a run and an RBI.