For a brief moment, José Miranda looked like one of the Twins’ best success stories. A late-blooming prospect who surged through the upper minors, he burst into the majors with a promising rookie campaign. He even delivered one of the most memorable hitting streaks in recent team history. He was supposed to be part of the next wave of Twins hitters. Instead, just a few years later, he looks more like a cautionary tale than a cornerstone.
Miranda was never supposed to be a superstar prospect. But in 2021, he put himself on the map in emphatic fashion, exploding at Double-A and Triple-A with a .973 OPS. That season forced the Twins’ hand, and he earned his big-league call-up in 2022. As a rookie, he delivered. Miranda posted a 114 OPS+ and looked the part of a long-term middle-of-the-order bat. Minnesota had seemingly found another young hitter to slot into their growing core.
Then came 2023, a year derailed before it ever really started. A right shoulder injury nagged Miranda from spring training onward, sapping his swing speed and his confidence. He never got on track, finishing the season as an offensive liability. But in 2024, there was reason for optimism. Healthy again, Miranda put together a respectable bounce-back campaign with a 112 OPS+. He even delivered one of the most memorable stretches of the Twins’ season: a scorching July that included a remarkable run of 12 consecutive hits in 12 at-bats. At that point, it felt like he was ready to turn the corner for good.
When Royce Lewis went down in spring training this year, Miranda had a golden opportunity: the starting third base job was his. But instead of seizing the moment, he cratered. In 12 games, he hit .167 with a .417 OPS, numbers so poor the Twins had little choice but to send him down. The hope, of course, was that he’d reset in St. Paul, find his swing, and work his way back. But that’s where things have gone from bad to worse. Across 83 games and 343 plate appearances with the Saints, Miranda has managed just a .574 OPS, with 52 strikeouts against 28 walks and only 7 home runs. Instead of working back into the conversation, he’s drifted entirely out of it. Barely a year after being the center of the conversation with the Twins during his hit streak, he’s now out of their plans altogether.
The Twins’ trade deadline fire sale this year saw a wave of call-ups. Ryan Fitzgerald. Carson McCusker. Edouard Julien. Names kept coming, but not Miranda’s. Despite Minnesota’s revolving door of opportunities, Miranda wasn’t even considered—and there was nobody arguing that he should have been. That silence says it all. If the Twins believed in him as a rebound candidate, he’d have been back in Minneapolis by now. The front office’s unwillingness to move him at the deadline only underscores how little value he has left; there were simply no takers.
Miranda’s story feels almost cruel. From a breakout in the minors to a solid rookie campaign, from a shoulder-induced collapse to a brief resurgence, it looked like he might still carve out a long-term role. Instead, he’s now staring at an uncertain future. At just 26 years old, his career isn’t technically over. But in the eyes of the Twins, it might be. They’ve had ample opportunity to bring him back into the fold, and they’ve passed every time. This offseason, it’s likely they’ll simply cut ties and move on.
So, what on Earth happened to José Miranda? Did the shoulder injury permanently alter his swing? Was it an attitude issue after being demoted? Or did he just lose his approach at the plate? Whatever the answer, the fall from “future fixture” to “organizational afterthought” has been staggering.
What do you think? Was Miranda doomed by injuries, or did he simply fail to adjust at the highest level? How disappointed are you in his collapse—and is there any chance he salvages his career elsewhere?