Twins Should Prioritize Resting Carlos Correa Down the Stretch

On May 25, Minnesota Twins shortstop Carlos Correa was diagnosed with plantar fasciitis. Correa's diagnosis sent shockwaves through the Twins franchise and Major League Baseball.

Will Correa need to go on the IL? Will he be out for the rest of the season? What will the Twins do at shortstop if Correa is out for a significant period?

Those who follow baseball ruminated on worst-case scenarios, and the all-too-familiar sense of panic flooded the collective consciousness of the cursed yet ever-optimistic Minnesota sports fan.

Why us, and why now? Why Correa of all players?

Then, seemingly out of nowhere, Correa was in the lineup the next day against the Toronto Blue Jays and made an incredible defensive play.

Instead of going on the 10-day IL or sitting out for an extended amount of time, the plan for Correa was to manage his plantar fasciitis utilizing relatively frequent rest days and load management practices.

Although Correa's play has been below his career averages, the plan to keep Correa on the field has gone exceptionally well.

Here are Correa's numbers since his plantar fasciitis diagnosis on May 25 compared to league average statistics for shortstops during the 2023 season:

• Correa - .233/.312/.401 (.713), 314 PA, 65 H, 15 doubles, 10 homers, 22.6% K%, .168 ISO, .275 BABIP, 96 wRC+
• League Average - .244/.308/.394 (.702), 22.8% K%, .150 ISO, .295 BABIP, 89 wRC+

Correa has been able to perform as a slightly above-average shortstop while dealing with plantar fasciitis, which is clearly hindering his performance. 

Not only has Correa performed above league average for shortstops while suffering from plantar fasciitis, but he has been a steady fixture in the Twins lineup, missing only 14 games this season. 

Correa's pain tolerance, resilience, and devotion to the Twins and the game of baseball should be appreciated, and he is a significant reason why the Twins currently own a 96.2% of making the playoffs, according to FanGraphs. 

On Wednesday, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reported that the Twins plan on playing current starting third baseman Royce Lewis at shortstop more often once Byron Buxton returns from the 10-day IL in early September.

Shifting Lewis to shortstop opens up the opportunity for the Twins to give Correa more days off while being able to keep one of their star young players in the lineup down the stretch.

The Twins also have Kyle Farmer and the soon-to-return from the 10-day IL Willi Castro as viable shortstop options, so Correa getting extended rest isn't exclusively contingent upon Lewis shifting over to shortstop.

While it would be wise to give veteran players days off during the season's final month, especially those dealing with a persistent ailment like Correa, a different end of the spectrum exists for young players like Lewis, Edouard Julien, and Matt Wallner.

If the Twins make the playoffs, this would be Lewis, Julien, and Wallner's first time in the postseason. While these three young position players have been vital fixtures for the Twins since the All-Star break, they have only 587 combined plate appearances this season.

To put this into perspective, Correa has 506 plate appearances this season. 

Keeping Lewis, Julien, and Wallner in the lineup and, in turn, giving them more at-bats offers them more opportunity to, though it is incremental, hone their craft, sharpen their play, and gain experience as they hope to march into the postseason.

Resting Correa while playing young and emerging position players more often is a win-win situation for the Twins, barring they can sustain their immense divisional lead.

The main reason the Twins should rest Correa is the opportunity for Correa to heal from his bout with plantar fasciitis in hopes of being as healthy as possible for the postseason.

Playing one or two games while taking the majority of games off during each remaining week could help Correa, as noted when Twins manager Rocco Baldelli interacted with reporters following Correa's initial diagnosis in late May. 

In the Twitter post above, Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic highlights Baldelli's personal battle with plantar fasciitis. Baldelli implies that resting and having the privilege of doing essentially no physical activity for a month healed his condition. 

Now, every person is different, but giving Correa extended time off could end up helping him with his plantar fasciitis the same way it helped Baldelli. 

Since Correa's initial diagnosis, the Twins have been entrenched in an unrelenting divisional battle with the Cleveland Guardians and Detroit Tigers, so giving him extended time off has yet to be a realistic option. 

Correa is hitting .258/.382/.500 (.882) with 16 hits, four homers, three doubles, 21.1% K%, .242 ISO, and 141 wRC+ over his past 76 plate appearances. Correa has been an integral part of why the Twins were able to go from 0.5 games behind the Guardians during the All-Star break to a six-game lead as of August 28. 

With just 31 games left in the regular season and the Twins possessing a formidable six-game lead over the second-place Cleveland Guardians, the Twins could soon find themselves in a spot where they can take their foot off the pedal and give Correa extended time off. 

As long as the Twins manage not to implode during their upcoming six games in nine days stretch versus the Guardians, they should reward Correa for his services by resting him as much as possible down the stretch.

What do you think of Correa's performance while battling plantar fasciitis this season? Should the Twins give him extended rest? Comment below.