Twins' Jose Miranda: Expected to play first base Tuesday
Rotowire
Miranda (shoulder) is expected to play first base for the Twins on Tuesday in their Grapefruit League contest versus the Rays, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.
Miranda has been limited to designated hitter duties while he works through some soreness in his right shoulder, but he's been throwing from 120 feet without issue lately. The plan is to mostly play him at third base this season and the club would like to get him into some spring games at the hot corner, but they could ease him back into things are first base initially, especially if Alex Kirilloff (wrist) isn't available. The shoulder has not affected Miranda at the plate, which his 1.079 OPS and three homers this spring can attest.
... See More... See Less
Twins' Jose Miranda: Throwing without issues
Rotowire
Miranda (shoulder) began a throwing progression Friday without issues, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports.
Shoulder soreness popped up for Miranda early in camp and forced him to withdraw from the World Baseball Classic. Whether or not he'll be able to handle the hot corner by Opening Day is unclear, but he'll at least be able to serve as the designated hitter, the position he's been playing so far this spring.
... See More... See Less
Twins' Jose Miranda: Chance to be 3B-ready for opener
Rotowire
Miranda (shoulder) has a "very realistic chance" of being ready to play third base on Opening Day, Twins manager Rocco Baldelli told Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com on Tuesday.
Miranda tested out his right shoulder with a plyo ball Tuesday and expects to be ready to throw a regular baseball in 2-3 days. If he can avoid setbacks, it sounds like he should be ready to handle the hot corner come March 30. Even if he's not quite ready to play the field, Miranda could serve as the first baseman or designated hitter for a bit. He's already homered three times out of the DH spot this spring.
... See More... See Less
Twins' Jose Miranda: Tests shoulder with plyo ball
Rotowire
Miranda tested out his right shoulder by throwing a plyo ball Tuesday, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.
It went well, and the next step will be for Miranda to throw with a regular ball in a few days. His shoulder does not bother him at the plate, which he showed Tuesday with a home run -- his third already this spring -- out of the designated hitter spot.
... See More... See Less
Twins' Jose Miranda: In lineup as DH
Rotowire
Miranda (shoulder) is in the lineup as the designated hitter and hitting second in Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Tigers.
Miranda has been dealing with a sore shoulder that has kept him out of the lineup for the past few days. The infielder is expected to be ready for Opening Day, but he may be limited to first base and designated hitter in the early part of the campaign.
... See More... See Less
Twins' Jose Miranda: Could be limited to 1B/DH initially
Rotowire
Miranda could be limited to first base and designated hitter at the start of the season if his right shoulder soreness hasn't totally subsided by then, Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic reports.
Miranda is slated to handle the hot corner in 2023 after spending most of 2022 at first base, but it's possible those plans could be put on hold for a bit. It would make sense for the Twins to exercise caution here, especially if Alex Kirilloff (wrist) isn't quite ready to play first base. Miranda has played three games this spring, all out of the DH spot. If he's not able to play third base initially, it could open up starts at the hot corner for Donovan Solano, Kyle Farmer, Nick Gordon (ankle) and Willi Castro. If Miranda's shoulder is still an issue later in the summer, Royce Lewis (knee) could factor into the third base mix as well.
... See More... See Less
Twins' Jose Miranda: Out of WBC due to shoulder
Rotowire
Miranda (shoulder) withdrew Wednesday from competing for the Puerto Rican team in the World Baseball Classic, Phil Miller of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.
Miranda recently experienced right shoulder soreness in Twins camp, so he'll cancel his plans to play in the upcoming WBC and focus on his rehab. The issue doesn't seem to be a huge concern -- he's taken three Grapefruit League at-bats out of the designated-hitter spot -- but now the 24-year-old can simply focus on being ready to handle third base for Minnesota once he's cleared to throw again. He posted an encouraging .751 OPS with 15 home runs and 66 RBI over his first 125 big-league games in 2022.
... See More... See Less
Twins' Jose Miranda: Dealing with sore shoulder
Rotowire
Miranda has been limited to designated hitter duty early on in camp because of a sore right shoulder, Twins manager Rocco Baldelli told Nick Nelson of TwinsDaily.com Tuesday.
The shoulder evidently doesn't bother Miranda at the plate but is causing some issues when throwing. It does not sound like a major concern at this point, but it's unclear when Miranda might be cleared to play the field. He's slated for third base duties in 2023 after spending most of 2022 at first base.
... See More... See Less
Twins' Jose Miranda: Prepping for everyday role at 3B
Rotowire
Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said in December that Miranda is on track to open the season as the team's primary third baseman following the offseason trade of Gio Urshela to the Angels, Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic reports.
Miranda saw most of his opportunities during his rookie season at first base or as a designated hitter, but he'll get the chance to return to the position where he spent most of his minor-league career now that Urshela is out West. Though Miranda didn't grade out well defensively in the corner infield in 2022, the Twins are optimistic that the decline in the field from Urshela to the 24-year-old won't be a substantial one. At the very least, Miranda should provide an overall upgrade from Urshela at the plate after overcoming a slow start to his rookie campaign to finish with an impressive .268/.325/.426 slash line over 483 plate appearances.
... See More... See Less
Twins' Jose Miranda: Won't play in finale
Rotowire
Miranda (mouth) is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the White Sox.
Miranda had been included in the Twins' initial lineup for Wednesday, but the Twins opted to hold him out for the season finale and give him more time to move past the mouth contusion he suffered when he was hit by a pitch Tuesday. He'll close out his rookie campaign with a .268 average, 15 home runs, 66 RBI and 45 runs over 124 games.
... See More... See Less
Twins' Jose Miranda: Dealing with mouth bruise
Rotowire
Miranda was diagnosed with a lip/mouth contusion after being hit by a pitch Tuesday against the White Sox, Megan Ryan of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.
The 24-year-old had the pitch ricochet off his left hand before it struck him in the face, and it appears he's avoided a serious injury. Miranda should be considered day-to-day, and it's unclear if he'll be available Wednesday for the final game of the regular season.
... See More... See Less
Twins' Jose Miranda: Three hits, RBI in win
Rotowire
Miranda went 3-for-4 with an RBI double and a run scored in Tuesday's win over the White Sox.
Miranda singled and scored in the first inning before ripping an RBI double off Lance Lynn in the bottom of the third frame. He later added another single later in the contest. The three-hit performance was his third consecutive game with multiple hits -- he's gone 8-for-14 with a double, an RBI and three runs scored over that stretch. Miranda is now batting .273 with 15 homers, 65 RBI, 44 runs and a stolen base over 117 games this season.
... See More... See Less
Twins' Jose Miranda: Two hits, two RBI
Rotowire
Miranda went 2-for-5 with a double and two RBI in Sunday's 5-1 victory over the White Sox.
Miranda tallied two hits Sunday, including a two-run double in the top of the ninth inning to increase Minnesota's lead to four. The multi-hit effort was his second in his last three games, a welcome sight as he is hitting .218 over his last 15 games with only three extra-base hits, all doubles. He will look to regain his power stroke that he showed in July, when he slugged .603.
... See More... See Less
Twins' Jose Miranda: Belts 13th home run
Rotowire
Miranda went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in a 2-1 win over the Rangers on Friday.
Miranda followed up a solo home run by Luis Arraez with one of his own for back-to-back first-inning blasts, which gave the Twins all of the offense they needed for the win. The 24-year-old rookie struggled initially in May but he has been remarkably consistent since June. Miranda is finding himself slotted into the cleanup spot as of late and is slashing an excellent .317/.377/.492 in August. He appears to be breaking out and now has 13 homers and 52 RBI on the season despite only having played in 80 games. With a full season of playing time, he'd be on pace for a 100-RBI campaign, providing some power and run production with third-base eligibility.
... See More... See Less
Twins' Jose Miranda: Gets aboard four times in win
Rotowire
Miranda went 3-for-4 with an RBI and a walk in Tuesday's 9-0 win over the Royals.
Miranda continues to hit well in August -- he's gone 17-for-55 (.309) through 14 games this month. Six of those have been multi-hit efforts. The corner infielder is up to a .283/.330/.461 slash line with 11 home runs, 49 RBI, 29 runs scored, one stolen base and 15 doubles through 288 plate appearances, and he's emerged as a fixture in the heart of the Twins' order.
... See More... See Less
Twins' Jose Miranda: Two more hits in loss
Rotowire
Miranda went 2-for-5 with one RBI in Sunday's loss against the Blue Jays.
The 24-year-old continues to rake, with Sunday marking his second straight two-hit effort. Now hitting .352 since the beginning of July, Miranda is living up to his prospect pedigree. The Twins have moved him more regularly into the cleanup spot in the order, and that has allowed him to rank fourth in the majors in RBI since the beginning of July.
... See More... See Less
Twins' Jose Miranda: Goes yard in win
Rotowire
Miranda went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and a double in Saturday's 7-3 win over the Blue Jays.
In his last 12 games, Miranda has gone 17-for-44 (.386) with five extra-base hits and 14 RBI. The 24-year-old is seeing most of his time at the corner infield spots lately as he continues to force his way into the lineup. The recent surge has him up to a .277/.325/.477 slash line with 11 homers, 46 RBI, 28 runs scored, 14 doubles and a stolen base through 70 contests.
... See More... See Less
Twins' Jose Miranda: Continues raking Monday
Rotowire
Miranda went 2-for-4 with a walk, three RBI and a run in Monday's 5-3 extra-inning win over the Tigers.
Miranda came up clutch again late in Monday's contest, plating two runs on an eighth-inning base hit to give him 42 RBI through 232 plate appearances on the season. Dating back to May 20, Miranda has been one of the top hitters in baseball, as he's produced a .339/.381/.570 slash line while striking out at an 18.8 percent clip over that 51-game stretch.
... See More... See Less
Twins' Jose Miranda: Another three-hit game
Rotowire
Miranda went 3-for-4 with a double, two RBI and a run scored in Tuesday's 7-6 loss to the Brewers.
For the second day in a row, Miranda produced exactly three hits and two RBI, lifting his season average up to .271 in the process. The rookie has been especially productive following his second minor-league call-up May 30, as he's slashing an incredible .326/.369/.545 in 41 games over the past two months. At this stage, Miranda seems to have established him as a mainstay in the lineup, and Miguel Sano's recent return from the injured list doesn't look as though it'll change that.
... See More... See Less
Twins' Jose Miranda: Heads to bench Tuesday
Rotowire
Miranda is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Brewers, Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic reports.
Miranda is without a clear path to everyday playing time, but the Twins should continue to carve out a part-time role for the rookie while he's swinging a hot bat. Though he'll be on the bench Tuesday, Miranda had started in six of the Twins' past seven games while going 6-for-22 with two home runs, a double, two walks, seven RBI and three runs.
