What's next for Jose Miranda?

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The Twins’ infield has become enough of a crowd this season to the point that Jorge Polanco is spending time playing out of position at third base to accommodate all the bats that need to filter through the lineup.

And that’s not even considering the plight of Jose Miranda, the Opening Day third baseman who had targeted this season as another step in his breakout -- and instead will have to treat 2023 as a near-total loss in his development.

“It's a little disappointing,” Miranda said. “I thought a lot about this year. I thought about getting established in the bigs and helping the team. I had a lot of things in my mind that I wanted to do this year. But obviously, you can't control stuff like this. That's God's plan. You just have to take it day by day, grind and just trust the process.”

Miranda is back to hitting off the tee and has perhaps three weeks to go in his throwing progression and ramp-up before he gets back into games. He hopes that will finally resolve the season-long shoulder issues that hampered him throughout the parts he did play during his disappointing ‘23 season.

He was expected to serve as a key middle-of-the-order bat as he built off a breakout rookie season in which he hit .268/.325/.426 with 15 homers. Instead, he hit .211/.263/.303 and was demoted to Triple-A St. Paul, where he continued to struggle before a brief callup back to the Majors before he was sidelined with a right shoulder injury.

It’s the same shoulder injury that prevented him from participating in the World Baseball Classic for Team Puerto Rico during Spring Training. And though he made the Opening Day roster and played, he noted that the shoulder bothered him far more than he let on -- and although it bothered him primarily while throwing, it’s worth wondering if it affected his hitting more than he thinks, too.

“There was a point during the season that I was going through a lot of pain,” Miranda said. “I was playing through a lot of pain, but I just wanted to keep playing. I was grinding. I don't know if it was the right thing, but you learn with everything that happens in your life. There were some points where I thought maybe surgery or something could have happened.”

Miranda wants to work his way back to the field in ‘23, but he also seemed aware of the idea that it would also depend on if he fit into the team’s plans. And with the infield crowd already involving Polanco, Edouard Julien, Royce Lewis and Alex Kirilloff eventually needing consistent playing time alongside Carlos Correa, Willi Castro and Kyle Farmer, it likely won’t be easy.

As for what this means for Miranda’s future, it’s tough to tell. But he’s hoping to be ready for whatever the Twins need of him this September, October -- and beyond.

“I just want to help the team,” Miranda said. “But it's going to depend on what they want to do with me. They're going to make the decision, and obviously, myself, too, I've got to let them know how I feel.”