CHICAGO — The Twins landed in Chicago on Sunday night riding high on a seven-game winning streak that has helped turn their season around dramatically.

Things got even better for them on Monday when they got their star shortstop back from the injured list. Carlos Correa had been among their most productive hitters when he strained his right intercostal muscle on April 12 in Detroit. The injury kept him out for the past 16 games.

The Twins initially feared he was out with an oblique strain when he was clutching his right side after a strikeout, but they soon got news that the injury was to his intercostal, which had a shorter recovery time period.

Correa traveled with the team to Anaheim, where he took infield reps at shortstop and batting practice on the field for the first time in preparation for his return.

At the time of his injury, Correa was hitting .306 with a .876 OPS during his first 11 games of the season, one of the only members of the lineup that was productive during the early days of April.

Martin optioned

To make room on the roster for Correa, the Twins opted to send down rookie Austin Martin rather than infielder Jose Miranda. Martin was primarily playing a mix of center field and left field, although appeared at second base during part of one game.

A day earlier, Twins manager Rocco Baldelli praised Martin’s approach at the plate after he battled back from 0-2 to a full count and then singled in a pair of runs on the seventh pitch of his at-bat.

“To be doing things like that at the major league level, normally there’s an adjustment period and normally young players come in super aggressive just swinging at a lot of pitches and not having a plan,” Baldelli said. “He has a good plan and he knows what he’s trying to do and he stays within himself. He can really work an at-bat in a way that it looks like a veteran player in the way that he does it.”

With Correa back, the Twins can now start shifting Willi Castro, who was his primary replacement at shortstop, back to the outfield, if they choose.

Miranda is hitting .292 with a .820 OPS and two home runs in 16 games. Miranda, who could see some time at third base, first base and DH, entered Monday with seven hits in his past three games.