MINNEAPOLIS -- The Twins breathed a sigh of relief Friday night after learning that Carlos Correa was diagnosed with a mild right ankle sprain following a scary play at second base.
With one out in the seventh inning of Minnesota’s 2-1 win against the Pirates, Tommy Pham hit a line drive off the wall in right field, and DaShawn Keirsey Jr. fielded it quickly and came up throwing. Keirsey threw a strike to Correa, who fielded the ball cleanly and tagged Pham out, but then stayed down for quite some time.
Fortunately, what initially looked like the kind of injury that might sideline Correa for weeks or more ended with the star shortstop saying he hopes to play before the All-Star break. He will sit out Saturday afternoon’s game against the Pirates, and certainly could rest Sunday as well, but the injury does not appear to be serious.
It just gave Correa a scare and a little extra initial pain because the contact came in the same area where he had surgery in 2014, an operation that included the insertion of a metal plate.
“I felt my ankle get stuck to the bag and then could feel the vibrations going through my plate,” he said Friday night. “I'm ultra sensitive when it comes to that stuff, my ankle. My brain right away went to a dark place. 'Oh [no], here we go again.' But once we got back in [the clubhouse], the X-rays were clean, I started putting weight on it. It didn't feel like I fractured it.
“At that point I knew I was fine. It was a scary moment. I asked to play tomorrow, but they said that would be irresponsible. Tomorrow, I'm going to go through all this stuff and hopefully play Sunday.”
After Correa was initially examined on the ground by second base, he was helped off the field by two members of the Twins’ staff, clearly favoring his right leg. But it wasn’t long at all before he realized there was less to worry about than he initially thought.
That was a significant relief to Correa and the club, but also very good news to Keirsey, whose brilliant play led to Correa being on the bag when Pham slid. Keirsey fielded the tricky carom off of an overhang in right field, made an almost instantaneous transfer and release, and threw out Pham to keep Pittsburgh from putting the tying run in scoring position.
“There’s no textbook way to play that right field,” said manager Rocco Baldelli. “It’s a very challenging overhang. He put himself right in the right spot. And then he made just a fantastic throw for the out. So for a guy that [helps with] defensive plays and baserunning -- a guy that’s going to have to help you win games like that -- that’s what it looks like. That’s about as good as you can do it.”
Brooks Lee moved to shortstop after Correa was removed, and he will likely start there Saturday and Sunday if needed.
Correa, 30, had stayed mostly healthy this year aside from a concussion he suffered in a collision with Byron Buxton. He carries a .261/.302/.385 batting line that is down from his career norms, but his defense has remained steady and he is one of the most respected presences in the Twins’ clubhouse.