The Twins suffered another hit to their infield depth today, as they placed third baseman Jose Miranda on the 10-day injured list with a right shoulder impingement. In a corresponding move, the club called up outfielder Matt Wallner from Triple-A.
It’s been a brutal year at the plate for Miranda, who entered the season as the club’s starting third baseman but was demoted to Triple-A after slashing just .220/.275/.318 in his first 142 plate appearances this season. Since then, the Twins have been ravaged by injuries across the infield that prompted the club to give Miranda another look in the big leagues despite his meager .255/.326/.360 slash line at the Triple-A level. He ultimately recorded just 10 more at-bats in the big leagues before going down with injury, going 1 for 10 with a strikeout and no walks.
Now Miranda is joining fellow infielders Jorge Polanco, Nick Gordon, and Royce Lewis on the injured list. With that group out, the Twins seem poised to rely on Edouard Julien, Kyle Farmer, and Donovan Solano around the infield alongside Alex Kirilloff at first base and Carlos Correa at shortstop. Fortunately, reinforcements may be on the way in the near future. As noted by MLB.com’s Do-Hyoung Park, Polanco is poised to begin a rehab assignment on Sunday, indicating he’s nearing a return to the big league club. Polanco has played just 30 games this season due to injuries, and has struggled somewhat at the plate when healthy as evidenced by a .250/.291/.450 slash line (104 wRC+) that’s a far cry from the .272/.339/.455 (116 wRC+) he offered from 2018-22.
Polanco’s difficult year has allowed for the emergence of Julien, who has raked to the tune of a .279/.355/.515 slash line, good for a wRC+ of 140. With Byron Buxton entrenched as the club’s designated hitter and both Polanco and Julien limited to second base defensively, it will be a challenge for the Twins to find adequate playing time for both hitters. Last time Polanco was activated off the injured list, the club optioned Julien to Triple-A to allow both regular at-bats. Since his return to the big leagues on June 10, however, Julien has slashed a fantastic .324/.393/.568, underscoring his importance to the Twins’ lineup as currently constructed.
While Polanco’s return is certainly encouraging, Twins fans received much more concerning news today regarding the health of top pitching prospect Connor Prielipp. Per Park, Prielipp is slated to undergo surgery on his UCL next Monday, though the extent of the surgery won’t be known until the procedure occurs. The club’s second round pick in the 2022 draft, Prielipp has managed just 6 2/3 innings of work in his pro debut this season due to injuries. As noted by Park, this won’t be the first time Prielipp goes under the knife due to UCL issues, as the lefty underwent Tommy John surgery while in college back in 2021.
How does Miranda have a 56 OPS+ while playing horrid 3B and his WAR is only -.1? I mean that’s horrible.
He has 0.2 dWAR (defensive)
Apparently they gave him some value for successfully standing for all of the games he has played.
As Mark Twain said, “There are three kinds of lies: Lies, damned lies, and statistics.”
I thought we hired a new physical therapist to keep out players healthy. Guess that didn’t work
With Baldelli as manager, nothing will work to keep guys healthy.
Twins could sell off some of their rentals and still have a decent shot at the division. This current playoff format they have is garbage. The divisional format was always garbage. Any time any team misses the playoffs with a better record because of geography that’s a stupid format. Should have two divisions American League and national league top 5-6 or teams make playoffs.
What are these “rentals” which have enough value for anybody to take them?
When Solano has been your best hitter you know things aren’t going well. The pitching has been good enough to keep them at .500. Only one player on the hot stove who can move the needle enough for them to be contenders. Royce Lewis for Shohei Ohtani? Take Chris Paddack too
You want Ohtani? The Twins would have to cough up a lot more than Royce Lewis. Might be able to get him for Brooks Lee, though. Maybe.
Lewis & Julien might get it done.
Lewis & Varland & Festa or SWR if the Twins didn’t want to part with Julien and the Angels wanted pitching.
Of course I want him! Who doesn’t? Still, a lot of things would have to for right for the Twins even if they did get Ohtani to be a real contender. As we’ve seen with him and Trout one player can’t make a team. Royce could be something special too and It’s tough to give that up for a rental
It was a bit of a rhetorical question.
First, where does Ohtani play? Buxton can’t play a position right now so would you ask Ohtani to play outfield and risk injury from it?
Second, I’m assuming he slots into the rotation to bump Maeda to the bullpen.
Third, even though Royce Lewis could turn into a perennial All Star and the team has control over him for cheap over the next 5 years, he won’t be enough to get Ohtani because Lewis has proven to be made of the same glass that constructs Buxton’s body. In addition, Lewis’ performance at the plate is a little sketchy with little track record. That’s why it’s going to cost more. The Angels are going to want solid players who are or are close to MLB ready, and they need pitching a lot more than position players.
Twins trading away Urshela and Arraez and telling fans “it’s ok we have Miranda” was asinine.
Honestly, sounds like Prielipp’s career is over before it even started. If he undergoes TJ again, which is likely, he’ll be 24 before seeing any significant professional experience and he won’t have pitched any significant amount since his freshman year at age 19, and even that was cut short by the COVID lockdowns and lost seasons.
Basically, 1/2 a year of college followed by 5 years of rehab.
Since the Astros are looking for a left handed hitting outfielder and some pitching, they should call the Twins about Andrew Stevenson and a guy like Ober. Houston isn’t going to unload top prospects but has plenty in the lower ranks. Stevenson is still just 29, and offers plus defense and speed, with occasional pop. He’s evidently not getting called up so why not?
Ober’s trade value is higher than any prospect Houston has right now by a MILE. It’d cost the entire top 10 prospects in Houston’s farm system to get Ober. Honestly, after Gilbert, the Astros have nothing which would be considered much more than a toss in.
But yeah, if you want a 29 MiLB journeyman like Stevenson, I’m sure the Twins would hear offers on that stud.
The Twins aren’t giving up Ober for lower level prospects. It’ll be a huge haul to get a starter with his production and years of control.