Carlos Correa on injured list for concussion; Byron Buxton undergoing tests

MILWAUKEE – The Twins placed Carlos Correa on the seven-day concussion list Friday, one day after his collision with Byron Buxton in shallow center field, while Buxton continues to test for a concussion.

Buxton, who attended the team’s pregame hitters’ meeting but didn’t participate in on-field drills before Friday’s series opener against the Milwaukee Brewers, remains on the Twins’ active roster as he undergoes more testing under Major League Baseball’s concussion protocols.

The Twins promoted shortstop Ryan Fitzgerald, who was hitting well at Class AAA, to fill Correa’s spot on the roster.

Players can remain in MLB’s concussion protocols for multiple days before they’re cleared to play. MLB requires all players to undergo baseline neurocognitive testing before the start of the season, and the baseline data can provide a way to measure players after a potential brain injury.

“We could know more any time with Buck, but the last I’d heard, he was still going through some versions of the testing,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. “There are different thresholds, different stages to those tests.”

Correa was briefly at American Family Field on Friday, but he returned to the team’s hotel more than four hours before Friday’s game.

“Some of the tests that [Correa] actually went through today went fine and some didn’t,” Baldelli said. “As soon as something doesn’t, that’s it. There is nothing else to really discuss. We get him basically into the recovery phase as opposed to us testing him and seeing if he can play.”

“There may be only a 3-, 4-, 5-foot area on the field where you’re in the other guy’s space,” said Baldelli, who hadn’t watched a replay of the collision. “It just found that place.”

Fitzgerald, a lefthanded hitter who will turn 31 next month, gives the Twins another middle infielder with Correa sidelined.

In 35 games with the Class AAA St. Paul Saints this year, Fitzgerald was batting .328 with 11 doubles, four homers, 21 RBI and a .426 on-base percentage.

“Any opportunity I can get — I told Rocco, if you want me to catch, just get me the gear,” said Fitzgerald, who spent eight years toiling in the minor leagues.

It’s been a long road for Fitzgerald, who wasn’t picked in the 40-round 2016 amateur draft out of Creighton. The Burr Ridge, Ill., native began his pro career with the independent Gary SouthShore Rail Cats in 2017, driving an hour to games and receiving $800 a month.

“You know, someday I’m going to tell my kids to chase their dream. How can I tell them to chase their dream if I don’t?” Fitzgerald said. “I have to put my head on the pillow at night and be able to sleep knowing I gave everything I had.”

After Saints manager Toby Gardenhire told Fitzgerald he was headed to the big leagues, Fitzgerald’s flight from Des Moines was canceled, so he made the five-hour drive to Milwaukee with his girlfriend.

What does Fitzgerald want Twins fans to know about him?

“Good hair, that’s No. 1,” he joked.

Willi Castro fouled a pitch off his right knee in the first inning Friday, immediately dropping to the ground and yelling.

“He was having trouble putting weight on the knee and running,” Baldelli said. “He was limping around. Being in the outfield, if he can’t run, he can’t play. We’ll check on him [Saturday].”