Padres’ non-roster invite is rewriting his camp narrative faster than anyone expected

It was always going to be an offseason where the Padres weren’t going to make any big splashes on the free agent market, largely due to the lack of money they had. 

This meant finding scraps from other teams was the best way to add on to the foundation of their roster. The Padres did so by adding guys like Nick Castellanos, Ty France, José Miranda, and Miguel Andujar to the picture.

You are never going to expect the world from players at the back end of their career; the bar is incredibly low, and you take what you can get.

José Miranda is forcing the Padres to rethink their non-roster plans in a hurry

However, one Padres signing has taken off since the start of spring training, making his presence felt at the plate and doing damage in a big way. Craig Stammen is very pleased with the way that Miranda has played through the first four games of spring training.

“He’s getting hits when he’s at the plate, and that’s nothing to shake a stick at,” Stammen said Sunday. “Whether he’s facing Tarik Skubal or he’s facing the guys he faced yesterday, it doesn’t matter.”

Miranda went 5-for-6 with a home run in his first six at-bats of spring training, but the chance he makes the opening day roster remains slim.

While he is definitely turning heads, Miranda is competing against Castellanos, France, Andujar, and even Sung-mun Song for a bench spot. He will need to keep this type of production up in Cactus League action.

Miranda is coming off a down year with the Minnesota Twins, where he only appeared in 12 games, slashing .167/.167/.250 with a -0.3 WAR. But he seems to be turning it around in spring training, which is a sign you love to see.

In all likelihood, he won’t make the roster, but he is definitely not going down without a fight.