The Minnesota Twins released corner infielder José Miranda in early November after he had a rough 2025 season. He began the year on the Twins' 26-man roster, but he was demoted to Triple-A St. Paul after hitting .167/.167/.250 (13 OPS+) with one home run and five RBI in 12 games. The demotion came immediately after he committed a costly baserunning mistake. Miranda struggled immensely upon being demoted to the Saints, hitting .195/.272/.296 with seven home runs and 28 RBI in 90 games to finish the season.
Miranda agreed to a minor-league deal with the San Diego Padres in December. As a non-roster invitee to big-league camp, the former Twin has absolutely dominated at the plate so far this spring.
Former Twins top-100 prospect, José Miranda, has been on a tear with Padres in spring training
In 13 plate appearances with the Padres this spring, Miranda has collected one homer, two doubles, three singles, two walks and six RBI. Not bad for a guy who was released just a few months ago.
Jose Miranda ties it for the @Padres in the 7th inning with a 2-run BLAST!
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) February 20, 2026
📺 MLB Network pic.twitter.com/lOhUEvlLls
Miranda, who ranked as the Twins' No. 3 prospect at one point, hit .268/.325/.426 (114 OPS+) in 483 plate appearances during his rookie season (2022). He was demoted to Triple-A after a rough start to the 2023 campaign and suffered a season-ending injury in early July, about two weeks after being recalled to the majors.
Miranda had the best season of his career in 2024, posting 1.7 bWAR and a .284/.322/.441 (112 OPS+) slash line with nine homers, four triples, 28 doubles and 49 RBI. He notably tied the MLB record for most hits in consecutive at-bats (12) on July 6, 2024.
Jose Miranda joins Johnny Kling (1902), Pinky Higgins (1938) and Walt Dropo (1952) as the only @MLB players to record a hit in 12 straight at-bats. pic.twitter.com/pw529FQkr4
— Dustin Morse (@morsecode) July 6, 2024
José Miranda will have tough time making Padres' Opening Day roster despite strong spring training
Even with Miranda's strong spring, it's going to be tough for the former Twin to crack San Diego's Opening Day roster. Manny Machado, Xander Bogaerts and Jake Cronenworth will hold down third base, shortstop and second base, respectively, for the Padres in 2026. Miranda could find playing time at first base, but the position will still likely go to Gavin Sheets when facing lefties, with Miguel Andujar and Nick Castellanos being platoon options. Miranda may have to begin the season in Triple-A and continue hitting at a high level to reach the majors with the Padres. Hopefully, Miranda gets another MLB opportunity. We Twins fans know he can be a valuable hitter when he's at his best.