Correa back with Twins Friday? Buxton's progress impacted by concussion history

It's not official, but it certainly sounds like Carlos Correa could be in the lineup Friday when the Twins open a weekend series against the Royals at Target Field.

The biggest tell came Thursday when the Twins optioned outfielder Ryan Fitzgerald to Triple-A St. Paul. He was called up last week after Correa went on the 7-day injured list while being placed in concussion protocol following a collision with Byron Buxton in a game against the Orioles on May 15.

On Wednesday, Twins head athletic trainer Nick Paparesta told reporters that Correa's concussion symptoms were "basically all completely gone," while Buxton is "a little bit behind" Correa in concussion recovery.

Correa was expected to undergo a concussion assessment Wednesday, noting that the shorstop was "in a good spot" from a "baseball standpoint."

Buxton's concussion history and migraine headaches may be why he's been slower to progress.

“Any time you’ve had a previous concussion, you’re a little bit more susceptible to another concussion or worse symptoms from that concussion so he’s taking a little bit longer to move progressively,” Paparesta said.

Buxton started some baseball activities on Wednesday, which Paparesta called "a great sign."

“We’ll just see every day how he responds to that. The process is just kind of implement more things, get up the heart rate, get them doing more things, seeing baseballs coming at them and then determine the symptoms on a daily basis," Paparesta added.

Both Correa and Buxton are eligible to come off the injured list on Friday.

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