Failed MN Twins Infielder Finds Work Out West

The Minnesota Twins’ roster has been through a ton of change over the past 6 months, between its complete deconstruction at the trade deadline and the moves they’ve made this offseason with the Rule 5 Draft and addition of 1B/DH Josh Bell.

Lost in the shuffle of all this coming and going in the MN Twins clubhouse, Jose Miranda was jettisoned from the roster, in a move that most saw coming for a while now. And on Friday, the 27-year-old infielder found a fresh start out West, with the San Diego Padres.

Padres pick up former Minnesota Twins infielder Jose Miranda

It wasn’t long ago that Jose Miranda set the major league record for hits in consecutive plate appearances and looking like a cornerstone piece of the MN Twins’ future. In 2026, Miranda’s revenge tour will begin with the Padres’ Triple-A club.

The Padres and infielder Jose Miranda have agreed to a Minor League deal, sources tell @JustBB_Media. Includes ST invite.

Miranda, 27, owns a career .719 OPS in parts of four MLB seasons, but only saw action in 12 MLB games last year while struggling to a .569 OPS in Triple-A.

— Aram Leighton (@AramLeighton8) December 19, 2025

The Twins took Jose Miranda in the second round of the 2016 MLB Draft and he made his big league debut in 2022. Miranda’s 114 OPS+, as a rookie, got many in the organization and throughout the fanbase excited. Unfortunately, his production cratered in 2023 (55 OPS+), where he appeared in just 40 games.

Miranda briefly returned to the spotlight in 2024, where he ripped off hits in a record 12-consecutive plate appearances and pushed his slashline up to .284/.322/.441. He then fumbled his chance to start out of Spring Training in 2024, going 6-for-36 with a 13/0 K/BB in the Twins’ first 12 regular season games.

Related: Veteran Reliever Joins MN Twins on MiLB Deal

Miranda then went down to St. Paul, where he wasn’t any better. Across 90 games last year, Jose Miranda batted .195/.272/.296. He’ll need to show well during Cactus League competition that he’s worthy of keeping around.

Not that he should worry about what position he’ll start at, for the Padres, but for those who might be — San Diego has Manny Machado locked in at the hot corner, but it’s possible first base could present an opportunity.