The Minnesota Twins have been working hard to hold onto the second American League wild card spot over the past few weeks, and they have been doing so without star shortstop Carlos Correa. Thanks to plantar fasciitis in his right foot, Correa hasn't taken the field for the Twins since July 12th due to the injury.

Correa has been hard at work behind the scenes as he attempts to get himself back onto the field, and it seems like he is closing in on a return. The only problem is that the pain in Correa's foot is lingering, and while he's been able to field grounders and go through his batting routine, he still isn't able to sprint without feeling pain in his foot.

Via Bobby Nightengale:

“Carlos Correa is still working his way toward sprinting with pain in his foot lingering, but he took grounders today and he can do his full batting cage routine. He said he wants to take a rehab assignment once he’s cleared to play in games.”

Carlos Correa's injury status still murky for the Twins

Minnesota Twins shortstop Carlos Correa (4) throws to first base for an out against the San Francisco Giants during the fourth inning at Oracle Park.
Mandatory Credit: John Hefti-USA TODAY Sports
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When he's been on the field for Minnesota this season, Correa has been spectacular (.308 BA, 13 HR, 47 RBI, .896 OPS). After a rather disappointing 2023 campaign, Correa has bounced back in a big way, and it resulted in him earning the third All-Star selection of his career, although he was ultimately unable to play in the game due to his injury.

Now that he's close to having been out for a month, it looks like Correa is trying to ramp up his activity in order to get on the field for the Twins playoff push. While he seems to be able to do most things on his foot, sprinting is the one hold up, and it could ultimately result in him having to make a rehab start in order to gauge his level of pain before determining what his next step ends up being.

For the time being, Brooks Lee has been filling in at shortstop, and while he's held his own (.250 BA, 2 HR, 14 RBI, .637 OPS), getting back a star like Correa will be a huge boost for Minnesota's playoff hopes. For the time being, it still sounds like he has some work to do, but it looks like his return is just around the corner as he figures out a way to manage the lingering pain in his foot.