Should We be Concerned About Carlos Correa's Early Struggles?

In January, the Twins re-signed Carlos Correa to a $200M contract. A couple of weeks in, Correa has yet to exactly live up to the lofty expectations of signing such a lucrative deal. Through ten games, Correa is hitting just .182 with a .492 OPS. On top of that, Correa has missed several games with mid-back spasms. Many Twins fans have expressed their displeasure with Correa's early performance. He was even booed by home fans in the home opener following his third strikeout of the game in the top of the tenth inning. Should we be concerned about the star shortstop?

The short answer? No.
On April 27th, 2022, 16 games into the season, Correa was hitting just .167. He came up in many big spots and failed early in the season. Much was made of Correa's slow start at that time too, but he worked through his struggles, put together an excellent season, and earned every dollar (and one could argue more) given to him on his contract.

So, what's the reason for Correa's early struggles?
For starters, Correa is chasing out of the zone far too often. According to Baseball Savant, Correa is in the 22nd % in chase rate, which has resulted in him also being in the bottom fourth of the league in strikeout percentage.

Correa is aware of the analytics and has often raved about his teammates' performances by referencing their Baseball Savant page. He knows he's struggling, and he knows the reason for it. As a player constantly looking for ways to perfect his craft, Correa will take every opportunity to fix this area and return to his usual superstar self.

Another reason for his early struggle may have been the tightness in his back. Correa has been affected by back pain in the past, and while he stated this was a different part of his back than he has dealt with in the past, it is likely just as bothersome. When manager Rocco Baldelli announced Correa had been scratched from the starting lineup on Monday, he noted that Correa had been dealing with this minor injury for a few days, meaning it could've been hindering his play.

How about the reasons for optimism?
Going back to Correa's Baseball Savant page, there are some promising numbers to offset the negative numbers. Correa is in the 93rd percentile in max exit velocity, meaning when he hits the ball, he hits it harder than most players in the league. He is also above league average in average exit velocity and barrel percentage, inferring that he has been hitting the ball hard when he doesn't chase out of the zone and strike out.