MINNEAPOLIS — The Minnesota Twins placed shortstop Carlos Correa on the 10-day injured list on Tuesday with a bruised right middle finger that wasn’t healing fast enough for him to face his former team.
The move, retroactive to last Friday, was made before the Twins began a three-game series against the Houston Astros, for whom Correa played over the past seven seasons. Correa will be eligible for reinstatement to the active roster Monday, meaning he must sit out at least six more games.
“I don’t think I’ll be ready for at least three, four more days. So it’s just the smart decision,” Correa said. “Get another body on the bench that can go out there and help the team win.”
Correa, 27, was hurt at Baltimore when a pitch hit his right hand while it was on the handle of the bat with him in the middle of a half-swing. The ball went into fair territory, and he was easily retired on a groundout. The Twins initially feared he broke his finger, but a CT scan confirmed there was no fracture.
Correa said Tuesday that he tried to hit and throw on Monday but couldn’t do so without pain.
“So we said, ‘Hey, let’s take it easy. Let’s wait until it feels better.’ We’ll go from there,” Correa said.
After signing a three-year, $105.3 million contract that includes opt-out clauses after this season and next, Correa is batting .255 with five doubles, two homers, 12 runs, 11 RBIs and eight walks in 24 games for the Twins. He was on a tear right before the injury, going 14-for-34 with eight RBIs over his last eight games.
Starting pitcher Chris Paddack also was placed on the 10-day injured list on Tuesday, retroactive to Monday, with right elbow inflammation. He was pulled on Sunday in the third inning. In five starts since being acquired in a trade with San Diego, Paddack is 1-2 with a 4.03 ERA, two walks and 20 strikeouts in 22⅓ innings.
Paddack, who had Tommy John surgery in 2016 as a minor leaguer in the Padres system, said he’s getting a second opinion on his right elbow but knows that another elbow surgery is a possibility.
“Having surgery already once, it’s definitely a hard time mentally,” Paddack said Tuesday. “But I’ve been through it once, if that is the case, I’ll keep my head up high, and we’ll move forward.”
The Twins promoted outfielder Mark Contreras and right-handed pitcher Jharel Cotton from Triple-A St. Paul to fill the roster spots.