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News broke on Monday afternoon that Carlos Correa is expected to be activated from the injured list for the first game of the Twins’ series against the Chicago White Sox. In a corresponding move, utility player Austin Martin will be optioned back to Triple-A St. Paul, according to Disco Dan Hayes of The Athletic.
Hearing Carlos Correa will be activated for tonight's game and #MNTwins will option out Austin Martin.
— DanHayesMLB (@DanHayesMLB) April 29, 2024
Even with the Twins riding a seven-game winning streak, Correa’s return is a welcome development for a lineup that just recently pulled itself out of the cellar. Before being placed on the injured list with what was thought to be an oblique injury on Apr. 12, the veteran shortstop was having his best April at the plate since joining the Twins in 2022. Correa had a .306/.442/.444 line (162 wRC+) across 11 games, with a career-high 18.2% walk rate on top of just nine strikeouts.
Luckily, it was discovered that the injury actually occurred to his intercostal muscles, which presented a much shorter recovery time than an oblique strain likely would have. If he can pick up right where he left off despite skipping a rehab assignment, Correa will deliver stabilizing production from the right side of the plate, while giving his backup, Willi Castro, some much-needed time off.
For his part, Martin held his own in his 22 games since being promoted after Royce Lewis suffered a strained quad on Opening Day. The speedy 25-year-old sports a .226/.294/.371 (94 wRC+) clip, while playing a defensively sound left field and a passable center field. Martin also presented some much-needed diversity when it came to his approach at the plate, especially during a stretch where strikeouts were at an all-time high for much of the Twins’ lineup. He’ll now head to the Saints to get everyday playing time in the outfield, and possibly second base, where he only appeared in one game for the Twins.
One of the other speculated options to be demoted would have been infielder José Miranda, who is limited to first base, third base and designated hitter, but he’s been on a tear over the last week, and the optics of sending down a player who has helped rejuvenate the Twins’ offense with an .820 OPS might have presented an issue. With this decision to keep him with the major-league club, the Twins can play Miranda’s hot hand, and they can easily reverse the move if he goes through a cold streak and Martin's performance in St. Paul calls for another call-up.
What do you think? What will Correa’s return mean to the red-hot Twins lineup? What should Martin work on in the minor leagues as he awaits another shot in the big leagues? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section, and as always, keep it sweet.
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