Minnesota Twins: Carlos Correa injury likely opens door for Royce Lewis
By Kevin Henry
For the Minnesota Twins, a finger injury for Carlos Correa could well signal the beginning of the Royce Lewis era in the Twin Cities.
Minnesota Twins shortstop Carlos Correa was hit by a pitch in consecutive at-bats on Thursday night against the Baltimore Orioles. The second time, however, likely had the biggest consequences as Correa left the game shortly after being hit in the hand.
According to a tweet from MLB.com Do-Hyoung Park, the Twins are hoping for the best when it comes to Correa.
Essentially, it looks like Correa could have a broken finger, and the Twins will look to confirm that tomorrow with CT scans. If it's a non-displaced fracture, it likely wouldn't require surgery.
— Do-Hyoung Park (@dohyoungpark) May 6, 2022
Depending on the severity of the injury (which we will know more about on Friday), Correa could miss a significant number of games. It could be a big loss for the Twins, who have seen the offseason’s most coveted free agent start hitting in a big way over the past week, going 11-for-29 and slashing .379/.419/.552 with a home run and five RBI.
While the Minnesota Twins may lose Carlos Correa to an injury, it’s possible that the Royce Lewis era is set to begin for the franchise.
The top overall pick in the 2017 MLB draft, Lewis has been posting big numbers for the Triple-A St. Paul Saints this season, slashing .310/.430/.563 with three home runs and 11 RBI through his first 87 at-bats of the season. With Correa at shortstop, there has been plenty of discussion about when Lewis (also a shortstop) might finally make his MLB debut. A wayward pitch in Baltimore could speed along that timeline.
With Correa going down, Royce Lewis, the #MNTwins No. 1 prospect, is the only middle infielder left on the 40-man roster.
— Do-Hyoung Park (@dohyoungpark) May 6, 2022
Lewis is crushing Triple-A with a .310/.430/.563 line through 24 games, with 3 homers, 11 doubles, 8 steals and nearly as many walks (17) as strikeouts (20).
The success Lewis has found in St. Paul has been a positive for the Twins, who didn’t see Lewis play in 2020 after minor league play was scrapped by COVID-19 and his 2021 season was taken away by a torn ACL. Lewis, however, showed well in spring training and has taken Minnesota’s signing of Correa in stride, believing that he will get his chance to shine at the MLB level, whether that is with the Twins or another team.
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That chance to debut with the Twins could now come sooner and last longer than was expected, depending on what Correa’s CT scans show.
UPDATE: It is happening…
Source: #MNTwins will promote Royce Lewis and he will make his #MLB debut tonight in the wake of Carlos Correa’s finger injury.
— DanHayesMLB (@DanHayesMLB) May 6, 2022