Starting today, the Minnesota Twins (3-4) will host the Los Angeles Dodgers (8-4) at Target Field for a three-game series. It’s not a series you have to win. However, winning two out of three games would go a long way toward persuading the supporters—including myself—that this is a team to be enthusiastic about.
The Twins announced on Monday that they had called up Jose Miranda in the hopes that he can fill in as a floatation device at third base while we wait for Royce Lewis’s anticipated late-season comeback. The matching action was to send down RHP Daniel Duarte.
Hot hitting Jose Miranda could help soothe the pain, at least a little bit, and (hopefully) keep the Twins afloat until Lewis can return. However, a multi-month injury layoff for the developing superstar third baseman will not help them win games or garner fan attention.
In 2024, what will Jose Miranda offer to the Minnesota Twins?
What makes the Twins believe in Miranda at all, considering how bad 2023 was? Though not every ball he hit in play during spring training went for a hit, he did manage to smash the cover off the ball. He had an OPS of.753 and batted.320 in 9 games (25 AB). In those nine games, he scored four touchdowns. There was just one hit, a double for extra bases.
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His performance in the seven games he played with the St. Paul Saints to begin the regular season may have carried over from this spring. Although his OPS is a fairly comparable.742, his batting average (.250) is down a little. In only one more game, he has also smashed one home run and two doubles.
Mostly though, it’s out of necessity. Although he hasn’t been able to accomplish it frequently, Miranda has previously demonstrated the capacity to hit MLB pitchers. With Lewis out of the lineup, the Twins need more hits from their lineup in addition to more infielders to assist bear the load.
