Amid a slow offensive start to the season, the Twins added a 14th position player to their active roster when they promoted Jose Miranda from Class AAA St. Paul.
Twins call up Jose Miranda from St. Paul, put Daniel Duarte on 15-day injured list
The Twins open a three-game series at Target Field tonight against Shohei Ohtani and the Dodgers.
The Twins placed reliever Daniel Duarte on the 15-day injured list with a right triceps strain and opted to call up an extra position player. Miranda was 7-for-28 (.250 batting average) with two doubles and a homer in seven minor league games with three walks and five strikeouts. He’ll hit fifth tonight at Target Field against the Dodgers (6:40 p.m., BSN).
Miranda, a righthanded hitter, gives the Twins another option to combat lefty pitchers. The Twins face lefty James Paxton today, and they’re scheduled to see Detroit Tigers lefty Tarik Skubal on Thursday.
The Twins sent Miranda to the minor leagues to begin the season because there is some redundancy on the roster with Carlos Santana, a switch-hitter, and the lefty-hitting Alex Kirilloff entrenched at first base. Miranda made one start for the St. Paul Saints at third base, a position he rarely played during spring training after recovering from an offseason shoulder procedure.
The Twins will operate with a seven-man bullpen for at least the start of their series against the Dodgers. Duarte yielded two hits and one run in four innings this year with three strikeouts and one walk.
The Dodgers (8-4) started the season in Seoul and have played five more games than the Twins (3-4).
Shohei Ohtani has been the DH in all 12 games after offseason elbow surgery thaty will prevent him from pitching until next season. He is hitting .320 with two home runs. Teammate Mookie Betts leads the league in hits, runs and home runs.
Paxton (1-0) faces Twins righthander Bailey Ober (0-1) tonight.
DODGERS LINEUP
Mookie Betts, SS
Shohei Ohtani, DH
Freddie Freeman, 1B
Will Smith, C
Max Muncy, 3B
Teoscar Hernandez, RF
Gavin Lux, 2B
James Outman, CF
Tayler Trammell, LF
TWINS LINEUP
Manuel Margot, RF
Carlos Correa, SS
Ryan Jeffers, DH
Byron Buxton, CF
Jose Miranda, 3B
Kyle Farmer, 2B
Christian Vázquez, C
Carlos Santana, 1B
Austin Martin, LF
The speculation surrounding shortstop Carlos Correa’s availability in a trade was overblown this week, Twins officials indicated at the winter meetings in Dallas.