Update: The Twins announced, miraculously, that Carlos Correa didn't suffer any broken bones in his arm. X-rays came back negative and it's officially being called a wrist contusion with Correa is being listed as day-to-day.
There's no subtle way to put it, the Minnesota Twins encountered a nightmare scenario on Thursday afternoon in Arizona. In the top of the seventh inning, Carlos Correa exited the game after taking a pitch directly to his wrist.
Correa immediately held up his arm and began shaking his head while walking straight to Minnesota's clubhouse. Along the way he slammed his helmet into the benches as his teammates watched in utter horror, along with everyone else in Twins Territory.
Whether it was his wrist or forearms almost seems beside the point, as there seems to be little doubt that Correa knew whatever happened was serious.
Carlos Correa injury update: Twins star leaves game after getting hit by pitch
Carlos Correa has left the game. pic.twitter.com/zeixp4PTik
— Bally Sports North (@BallySportsNOR) June 27, 2024
Losing Correa would be a brutal blow for the Twins, assuming that's how this plays out. There's reason to remain optimistic until the team says otherwise, but nothing about what happened leaves room for much hope that this will end any other way than a trip to the IL for Correa.
If that happens, one of the best offensive weapons Minnesota has will be out of the lineup. Correa cooled off a bit after the tear he went on earlier in the month, but his production was a big reason for the team's offensive boom. He slashed .548/.576/.871 just a few weeks ago, dunking so hard on his doubters that MLB gave him a weekly award.
Without his bat, the pressure will fall on guys like Royce Lewis and Jose Miranda to pick up the slack. Thankfully they've also been hot at the plate, even if Lewis has slumped a bit over the last stretch of games. If fans need to live in a world without Correa in the lineup, being in one where he's replaced by Lewis, Miranda, and Byron Buxton helps soothe the pain.
Should Correa miss time, it creates a potential path for another replacement to help put. David Festa made his MLB debut on Thursday, and he could soon be followed by Brooks Lee. The Twins will need to call someone up to take Correa's roster spot and everything Lee has been doing at Triple-A suggests he's ready to make the leap.
It's a horrible way for a path to be cleared for him, but it seems the Brooks Lee era might be about to begin in Minnesota. The best case scenario is that things weren't as bad as they seemed and Correa didn't suffer any broken bones, but we'll have to wait until the team evalutes him to truly know how serious the injury is.