MINNEAPOLIS (AP) \u2014 Carlos Correa has gone to great lengths to get his feet back to full strength.<\/p>\n
After plantar fasciitis interrupted a second consecutive season with the Minnesota Twins<\/a>, the three-time All-Star shortstop will be ready for spring training next month without restriction.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve been sprinting. I\u2019ve been running around. I\u2019ve been doing about everything,\u201d Correa said Saturday at the team\u2019s annual fan festival at Target Field. \u201cI\u2019ve been focused on not only just treatment but also strengthening, a lot of walking barefoot around the house now. All that\u2019s helping work on my toes and all that. So I\u2019m in a really good spot.\u201d<\/p>\n Correa was enjoying his most productive season with the Twins, and by most accounts his best season since 2017 with the Houston Astros, until a three-game series on the artificial turf in Arizona triggered the pain around his right heel in late June. He played through it for a couple of weeks, but the All-Star break didn\u2019t provide the relief he was counting on<\/a>. <\/p>\n Correa wound up missing more than two months, and the Twins ultimately collapsed while one of their most important players was sidelined. He rejoined the freefalling team for the final few weeks<\/a>, but his presence wasn\u2019t nearly enough. The Twins finished a bitterly disappointing 82-80 after losing 27 of their last 39 games. <\/p>\n \u201cIt was tough, but you\u2019ve got to just flush it down the drain and just focus on the next one. I feel like we have a great team,\u201d said Correa, who was limited by plantar fasciitis in his left foot in 2023. \u201cWe have a lot of young guys with so much potential, and if we put in the work we\u2019re going to be in a great spot.\u201d<\/p>\n After a visit to a specialist in California during his extended absence last year, Correa began shockwave treatments on the affected area of his foot designed to increase blood flow and regenerate damaged tissue. That\u2019ll be part of his regimen moving forward, along with extra arch support in his cleats to alleviate pressure on his heels. He was so desperate for a fix last year he started trimming his cleats and poking holes in his insoles. <\/p>\n \u201cThe one thing that everyone knows about Carlos: He\u2019s going to prepare himself about as well as anyone can to do all the things that are needed both on and off the field to manage it,\u201d team president Derek Falvey<\/a> said. \u201cI\u2019m hopeful that we\u2019ll get there.\u201d<\/p>\n This season, the Twins will consider additional games at designated hitter to help keep Correa off his feet more. Their infield depth \u2014 with Royce Lewis, Brooks Lee, Jose Miranda, Edouard Julien and Willi Castro ought to help with that goal. The question to be answered during spring training is who will play where. First base is the most obvious position there for the taking, following the departure of Carlos Santana. <\/p>\n