Twins third baseman José Miranda has withdrawn from the World Baseball Classic due to shoulder soreness, relays Phil Miller of the Minneapolis Star Tribune. He was set to play for Puerto Rico in the upcoming tournament but will instead stick in camp with the Twins as he continues to ready for Opening Day.
Manager Rocco Baldelli spoke with members of the media about the issue on Wednesday, noting that the team remains "quite hopeful that he’s going to be ready to go Opening Day" while noting that Miranda is not currently going through throwing motions. Baldelli indicated that there are no long-term concerns, here, at least at this juncture.
Even if Miranda is unable to take the field when the 2023 season gets underway, it's possible he could still serve as designated hitter depending on his overall health. Kyle Farmer or Donovan Solano could receive the call at the hot corner if Miranda needs a little more time to return in full.
A couple of other notes from around the American League…
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Cavan Biggio has primarily been an infielder for the Blue Jays, but could spend significant time in the outfield this season. Manager John Schneider tells Keegan Matheson of MLB.com he expects Biggio to play “a ton” of outfield this year, perhaps as much as a 50-50 split with his infield work. Biggio has 383 innings of outfield work on his resumé thus far, significantly fewer than the over 2,000 innings he has split between second base, third base and first base. Whit Merrifield, acquired at the trade deadline this past summer, seemed to take over as the club’s primary option at second base after joining the team. With Matt Chapman and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. at the corners and players like Santiago Espinal and Addison Barger competing for bench jobs, it’s possible Biggio’s best path to playing time is on the grass/turf. The regular outfield in Toronto should consist of George Springer, Daulton Varsho and Kevin Kiermaier, but Biggio could perhaps serve as the fourth outfielder if Merrifield, who also plays the outfield, is sticking at the keystone. Biggio hit .240/.368/.430 in his first two seasons for a 118 wRC+ but has dealt with back injuries in the past two, leading to a diminished line of .213/.320/.353, wRC+ of 90.
- Astros outfielder Justin Dirden is impressing in camp and could potentially nab a roster spot at the end of spring. “Who knows? We’ll see who’s injured, who’s not, who’s playing well and what we need. Everyone is getting about the same shot to impress us,” manager Dusty Baker told Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle. “I’m impressed with him. We’re impressed with him. That’s why he’s here. He’s getting a lot of playing time, a lot of looks, and he’s playing well. He’s playing very well.” It’s been quite a journey for Dirden, 25, who was not selected in the shortened 2020 draft and signed with the Astros afterwards as an undrafted free agent. He has been tearing the cover off the ball since joining the organization, including a posted .274/.397/.537 line in 2021 between Class-A and High-A. After being bumped to Double-A last season, Dirden swatted 20 home runs in 92 games while slashing .324/.411/.616 for a wRC+ of 157. He subsequently received a late-season promotion to Triple-A, where he struggled, but has shown out well in Grapefruit League games this spring. His ability to play centerfield gives him a chance to compete with Jake Meyers for a backup outfielder role behind Chas McCormick, Michael Brantley, Kyle Tucker and Yordan Alvarez. Those four are expected to take up the three outfield jobs and designated hitter slot (in varying iterations), but an injury could always open up a path for both Meyers and Dirden to make the team. Brantley is rehabbing from last year’s shoulder surgery while Alvarez is dealing with continued hand soreness of his own, giving other players opportunities this spring.
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