It’s certainly painful to consider, but it’s a question that many Minnesota Twins fans have on their minds as the team inches closer to their third postseason berth in the last five years. Would the Twins be able to stomach complete absences from infielders Royce Lewis and Carlos Correa in the first round of the playoffs?
Lewis left Tuesday night’s game against the Cincinnati Reds with left hamstring tightness. The Twins will likely give him ample rest down the stretch to try and alleviate some of that discomfort. And the pain caused from plantar fasciitis has hampered Correa has hampered all year. Minnesota placed him on the injured list on Wednesday, which will keep him out of action until the final Saturday of the regular season, at the very least.
Lewis, Correa, and Minnesota’s training staff are hopeful that we haven’t seen the last of either slugger in 2023. However, there’s a slim but very real possibility that the club could be without two of their biggest stars when they host the first game of a wild card playoff series on October 3rd.
That would be really tough to stomach for a team that will most likely be a slight underdog, no matter who they play in the first round. Lewis has been the clear-cut best position player on the club when he has been healthy enough to play, and Correa is still a marquee figure on the team despite an underwhelming, injury-plagued campaign.
But just because it’s a hard pill to swallow, doesn’t mean the Twins will choke on it.
While they’re not optimal, there are avenues that the club can go down to try and mitigate the absence of their two stars. It’ll require other players to be healthy, which is no certainty in today’s game. However, it’s not out of the question that the club could still have hope to advance.
In the unfortunate event that the Twins will need others to fill in for these injured infielders, they will likely use Kyle Farmer in one of the roles, likely at shortstop. Beyond that, the plan will likely revolve around if they are set to face a left or right-handed starting pitcher. If they face a southpaw, they can have Donovan Solano start at first, Jorge Polanco at second, and Willi Castro rounding out the infield at third. If they face a righty (which seems likely considering their probable opponents), they can have Alex Kirilloff at first, Edouard Julien at second, one of Castro at short and Polanco moving off of the keystone in lieu of third base.
While neither arrangement is optimal, they are certainly better than many would believe at first glance. Both backup plans carry decent-to-strong platoon advantages, and the defensive downgrades wouldn’t be as crucial as they would be for most other teams. That’s what Minnesota’s depth and emphasis on defensive versatility has led to. That would be the ultimate test of the front office’s roster construction, whether they like it or not.
It’s still too early for fans to be breathing easy. But there’s room for optimism with these injuries if you ask the players or the training staff.
For Lewis, there’s more uncertainty with his faulty left hamstring. As he told The Athletic’s Dan Hayes regarding his clear discomfort while being lifted from Tuesday’s game, Lewis is hopeful that this injury won’t hold him out as long as his previous ailments. “In terms of concern, I think it was just more frustration. I’m tired of stupid injuries, right? But this is the least of my worries of the past injuries.” Lewis said before clearing up if there was concern when he came up limping on a grounder the at-bat prior. “That was just me trying to be smart because I know it is September. I was out. They made a good play.”
Correa is as sure as ever that he’ll be available for game one on October 3rd. “I’m very confident,” he said. “They’re going to have to amputate my leg for me to not play in the playoffs.”
That spirit is exactly what fans and teammates would want from their corner locker player, but it’s far from a certainty. It all depends on how he recovers over the next week while he’s forced to ride the bench on the IL.
Fans are desperately holding their breath for these two star players to return to the field and power their club to postseason success. However, their depth has taken some of the pressure off of the worst-case scenario where they are both still unavailable.
