For the first time since April 12th, the Minnesota Twins will have Carlos Correa in the lineup.
Correa was placed on the 10-day IL after suffering a right intercostal strain in a loss to the Detroit Tigers and has been out of action for the last 16 days. That streak is expected to come to an end on Monday when the Twins take on the Chicago White Sox, but the move means that a roster spot needs to be vacated in order for Correa to return.
The Twins initially called up Jair Camargo to fill Correa's spot, but he's already been optioned back to Triple-A. There were some rumblings that Jose Miranda might head back to the Saints to make room for Correa but instead Austin Martin drew the short straw.
Twins option Austin Martin to make room for Carlos Correa to return from IL
The Athletic's Dan Hayes reported that Martin is expected to be send down to make room for Correa's return.
"The Twins are expected to option rookie Austin Martin to Triple-A St. Paul to make space for Correa, who’s been on the IL since April 12 with a right intercostal strain," Hayes wrote.
Minnesota later confirmed the report by announcing that Martin had been optioned.
Someone needed to go, and it's a bummer that Martin is the one the music stopped on. Sending him down won't be the last time the Twins need to make a roster move to make room for a star players returning from injury.
Jhoan Duran is in Chicago and the expectation is that he'll be activated in the very near future. Whether that's during this series against the White Sox or the next one against Red Sox is yet to be seen.
No announcement was made on Monday, which seems to suggest the Twins might be waiting to see how the first game of the series in Chicago plays out before deciding on who to send down. It's a move that's going to happen soon but the question is who will join Martin in drawing the short straw?
Kody Funderburk seems to be getting circled as someone who will have to step aside when Duran returns, but that decision hasn't been made final yet.
For the time being, it's worth worrying less about someone who won't be here and celebrating someone who is. Correa couldn't be returning to the lineup at a better time, as the offense looks completely different -- and more alive -- than when he was placed on the IL.
Minnesota is hitting .348/.406/.602 and scoring 8.1 runs per game, and that's likely going to get even better with the combination of another series against a bad White Sox team and the fact that Correa's .306/.432/.444 slash-line is getting added back into the mix.