The San Diego Padres released former Minnesota Twins top prospect José Miranda from his minor-league contract, the Padres' Triple-A affiliate announced yesterday. The Padres signed Miranda in mid-December after the Twins outrighted him off of their 40-man roster in early November.
Miranda, who plays third and first base, had a strong spring training with the Padres, slashing .304/.385/.522 with a pair of home runs in 52 plate appearances. Miranda appeared to have a decent shot at cracking San Diego's Opening Day roster. Instead, the Padres opted for former Twins first baseman Ty France in that role. In 82 plate appearances this season, France has hit .278/.305/.519 (131 wRC+) with four home runs and 14 RBI.
Meanwhile, Miranda hit .268/.308/.482 for a poor 82 wRC+ across 120 plate appearances with Triple-A El Paso before being released. While his batting average and slugging percentage are solid, his .308 on-base percentage is far below league average at the Triple-A level.
Miranda's career has taken major nosedive after strong 2024 season
Miranda's rough ending to his stint with the Padres continues his career's disappointing downward spiral. The infielder, who was at one point the Twins' No. 3-ranked prospect, had a decent rookie season in 2022, slashing .268/.325/.426 (116 wRC+) with 15 homers, 25 doubles and 66 RBI in 483 plate appearances. Miranda regressed in 2023, being demoted to Triple-A St. Paul in May before suffering a season-ending injury about two weeks after being recalled in early July. He ended the year with a .211/.263/.303 (55 wRC+) slash line in 152 plate appearances.
Miranda had a solid season in 2024, slashing .284/.322/.441 (114 wRC+) with nine homers, four triples, 28 doubles and 49 RBI across 429 plate appearances. Additionally, he tied the MLB record for the most hits in consecutive at-bats (12) on July 6, 2024.
While 2024 was arguably Miranda's best season, he regressed significantly after his record-breaking hitting streak, finishing the season going 35-for-61 with no home runs and just four walks. His struggles continued into the 2025 season, as the former top-100 prospect was demoted to Triple-A St. Paul in April after beginning the year 6-for-36 at the plate. He finished the season by slashing .195/.272/.296 (49 wRC+) with seven home runs and 28 RBI over 90 games.
While another MLB team may consider picking up Miranda, the former Twin seems like a candidate to play in South Korea or Japan.
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