Minnesota Twins shortstop Carlos Correa reportedly will not play in the 2024 MLB All-Star Game, and he has been replaced on the roster by Texas Rangers shortstop Corey Seager, according to Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press.
Carlos Correa still plans on going to Texas to enjoy the festivities surrounding the All-Star Game with his family, but will not play in the game. Correa is dealing with plantar fasciitis, so it makes sense for him to rest for the week before the Twins return to action on Saturday at home against the Milwaukee Brewers.
Of course, Corey Seager was not part of the American League team originally, but he gets to join and play in the All-Star Game in his home stadium. It is convenient for him, so it makes sense for him to be added at the last minute, given he does not have to travel, and it will give Rangers fans another player to cheer for alongside Marcus Semien.
How are Corey Seager and Carlos Correa faring this season?
Correa is on track for his best season with the Twins, currently batting .308 with a .377 on-base percentage and an .896 OPS, which is good for a 152 wRC+, according to FanGraphs. He currently has 3.6 WAR, which is already ahead of the disappointing mark of 1.9 from 2023, and on track to beat the very respectable mark of 4.6 during his first year with the Twins in 2022. Correa has had a resurgence at the plate, as his wRC+ was just 92 last season. He is having a fine defensive season as well with 1 DRS and 4 OAA.
Hopefully, Correa can manage the plantar fasciitis and will not have that derail his second half. The reason he had large contracts fall through with the San Francisco Giants and New York Mets is due to concerns with his foot during physicals with those teams. Eventually, he came back to the Twins. It will be worth monitoring the status of his foot not only down the stretch this season, but throughout the remainder of his career.
Despite the Rangers having a disappointing first half of the season at 46-50, Seager has been productive. Not as productive as in 2023, but Seager has hit .272 with a .356 on-base percentage and .840 OPS, which is good for a 130 wRC+, according to FanGraphs. That is down from his mark of 169 in 2023, which was the highest mark he had in any season that he played over 100 games.
The Rangers are still in the race, five games back of first place in the American League West, and Seager being productive is a big part of that. Hopefully, he can replicate some of what he did in 2023, because the Rangers need it, in addition to some potential additions at the trade deadline.
Marcus Semien, who while he is an All-Star, needs to step up his performance as well. He has not lived up to expectations so far this season. The Rangers will return to action at home on Friday against the Baltimore Orioles. They will try to start the second half of the season on the right foot against one of the American League's best.