Miranda's St. Paul mission: Clean it up and get back to Twins

The 3-for-25 slump that pulled Jose Miranda's batting average down to .220 certainly didn't help his case for remaining in the majors.

The ground balls that ate him up in Cleveland last weekend were also a problem.

Miranda did drive in the Twins' only run on Tuesday in a 6-1 loss to San Diego. But he also failed to hustle to third to get Christian Vázquez's throw when he attempted to nab Fernando Tatis Jr. returning to third base during a walk. The ball hit Tatis then rolled away, and Vázquez was charged with a throwing error. But on that play, it took two to tango.

On Wednesday, Miranda was optioned to Class AAA St. Paul as a corresponding move for the return of Kyle Farmer from the injured list.

Twins manager Rocco Baldelli was asked before Wednesday's 4-3, 11th-inning victory over the Padres what Miranda needed to work on while with the Saints.

Baseball, Baldelli basically said.

"Well, I mean this isn't just an offensive decision," Baldelli said. "It's not just a defensive decision. We think it's the right thing for the player, generally speaking, overall. He's going to go and work, and part of the message is 'You go to St. Paul. You work just as hard, if not harder every day. You work on yourself."

The mental mistake Tuesday was the final strike against Miranda, the Twins' minor league player of the year in 2021. It's a blow to the Twins, who could use more righthanded hitting punch besides Byron Buxton or Carlos Correa. I pointed out following Tuesday's game that the Twins don't have a cleanup hitter. Miranda could — should — grow into the role.

In 2021, he batted .344 between St. Paul and Class AA Wichita with 42 walks and 74 strikeouts over 127 games. He profiled then as someone who could drive baseballs and produce runs.

Miranda, 24, has played 160 games in the major leagues, batting .257 with 18 homers and 79 RBI. That includes 37 walks and 114 strikeouts. His aggressiveness on many pitches worked against him, but he still had enough flashy moments at the plate to believe he can become a reliable middle-of-the-order hitter with better pitch selection. He's only had 576 major league at-bats. We'll have to check back when he's passed 1,000 at-bats and closes in on 1,500 to determine what he is as a hitter.

Defense is not Miranda's strong suit, but he can become adequate with work. Mental mistakes must be cut out.

"What I told him was to use [the minors] as fuel to motivate you and make you better," Correa said. "Then when you come back here, you'll never get sent back down."

Meanwhile, the fallout from Miranda's demotion affects three people:

Kyle Farmer: Farmer received warm applause when he batted in the second inning during his first game back after being hit in the face with a Lucas Giolito fastball on April 12. Farmer was expected to open the season as the starting shortstop when he signed during the offseason but became a reserve when Correa's Wheel of Fortune spin landed him back in Minnesota. Now Farmer will have a temporary home at third base.

Willi Castro: Castro looked to be the odd man out once everyone got healthy. But Miranda and Trevor Larnach have been demoted, allowing his run with the Twins to continue. He will get some starts at third.

Royce Lewis: Lewis will begin a minor league rehabilitation assignment Thursday at Class AA Wichita and is expected to move to St. Paul not long after that. The Twins will have a June 1 decision to call him up or keep him at St. Paul. If Lewis is hitting, and Miranda doesn't have things sorted out, the Twins could give the first overall pick of the 2017 draft a chance. His third base experience consists of 11 minor league games and 12 in the Arizona Fall League. But he will split time at short and third during his rehab.

It would be easier for the Twins if Miranda sorts things out during his stay with the Saints.