Twins' Jose Miranda: Will start at third base Saturday
Rotowire
Miranda (shoulder) will start at third base for the Twins during Saturday's Grapefruit League game versus Atlanta, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.
Miranda has been limited to designated hitter and, more recently, first base duties while coming back from a sore right shoulder, but he's finally ready to test things out from the hot corner. He's slated to see most of his playing time at third base during the regular season, although Miranda could be eased into the position in the early going.
... See More... See Less
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.
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.
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.
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.
