FORT MYERS, FLA. — Jose Mijares wasn't asked about his weight. He was asked about winter ball and working on his sinking fastball. But the Twins lefthander brought it up anyway.

"I work hard with running, lose weight," he said. "I'm ready for everything."

Mijares' eyes were bulging as he said it, as if to emphasize how serious he was about not getting in trouble about his weight this year.

Is Mijares in shape? To borrow a phrase once used by manager Ron Gardenhire, Mijares is in a shape. Listed at 6-foot and 230 pounds, he might never be in perfect physical condition, but he's in better shape than he was a year ago, when his offseason suet was a talking point during spring training and into the regular season.

The Twins appear to be pleased with Mijares' condition this year. That, combined with a pitch he has added, has the team optimistic that Mijares, who was 1-1 with a 3.31 ERA last year, can be more like the Mijares who was 2-2 with a 2.34 ERA in 2009.

"This year, I want better," Mijares said. "[Like] two years ago."

Two years ago, Mijares looked ready to be a dominant setup man for many years. In 61 2/3 innings, he struck out 55 batters and held opponents to a .224 batting average.

But rumors that he had gained weight during the offseason proved to be true when he reported to camp last year. Mijares had a 6.75 ERA during 2010 spring training.

Mijares broke camp with the club but gave up back-to-back home runs to the Angels in the season opener. On April 17, he was placed on the 15-day disabled list because of a strained elbow -- and also was ordered to focus on his conditioning during his injury rehabilitation.

He landed on the DL in August because of a meniscus tear in his right knee. That occured in the middle of a run in which he posted a 1.17 ERA over 14 outings, so he did bounce back some last year.

After the season, he knew he couldn't report to Fort Myers the same way this year.

"I wanted to forget about that [last season]," he said.

So he got in his running and pitched in winter ball for Aragua of the Venezuelan League. It was there he addressed his pitching.

Mijares is blessed with a very good slider and hits 93 miles per hour with his fastball. But a straight fastball will get hit in the major leagues. He needed to add movement.

"Last year, he bought into the sinker more," Twins pitching coach Rick Anderson said. "I encouraged him to use it over and over and over."

Mijares really worked on the pitch during the offseason and is very comfortable with it.

"I feel real good right now with my two-seam [sinker]," Mijares said. "I worked hard on it."

Mijares has given up two earned runs in 8 1/3 innings this spring. He has only two strikeouts, but the Twins expect Mijares to blow some batters away. The sinker gives him another option.

The Twins will open the season with three lefthanded relievers in Mijares, Glen Perkins and Dusty Hughes. But Mijares will be counted on as a late-inning setup man, matching up with dangerous hitters and trying to get the ball to closer Joe Nathan in the ninth.

Get ready for some Mijares-Adam Dunn matchups this year, as the White Sox have added the 6-7 slugger to their lineup.

"He's one of those guys who can blow some people away, get some big outs," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said of Mijares. "We added a couple lefthanders out there, so all the pressure is not on him. But he can be good."

Embracing a new pitch and watching his weight is another way for Mijares to keep the pressure off him.

"When a player goes through what he went through last year, whether it would be injuries or weight issues, for him to learn from it and apply it is pretty impressive," Anderson said. "He handled that adversity."