Major League Baseball infielder José Miranda and outfielder MJ Melendez will play for the Liga de Béisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente’s Criollos de Caguas this winter, The Baseball Aficionado on Instagram reported on Sunday.
The Baseball Aficionado’s report stated that the two players will join the Criollos in December. The LBPRC’s Opening Day was last Thursday, and Caguas did not win a game through their first three contests.
Miranda, 27, was born in Manati, Puerto Rico, and can play third and first base. The 2016 second-round draft pick just completed his fourth season with the Minnesota Twins, but he only played 12 regular-season games. Instead, he spent most of the 2025 season at Triple-A St. Paul, hitting .195/.272/.296 with seven home runs and a .569 OPS in 90 games.
Miranda set a Twins franchise record with 12 hits in 12 consecutive at-bats between July 3-6, 2024. Still, inconsistent play since then led to his removal from Minnesota’s 40-man roster last Thursday, and he rejected an assignment to Triple-A. Miranda is now a free agent and will look to impress interested MLB clubs during his second stint with the Criollos, last playing 15 games with the organization during the 2020-21 season.
Melendez, 26, was born in Daytona Beach, Florida, but his father, Mervyl, is a native of Puerto Rico. The younger Melendez, a corner outfielder, represented Puerto Rico at the 2023 World Baseball Classic, his first time participating in the tournament. Melendez will make his LBPRC debut this winter.
Similar to Miranda, Melendez spent the majority of the summer at Triple-A, logging 107 games with the Omaha Storm Chasers in the Kansas City Royals organization. A steady hitting performance of 20 home runs and a .261/.323/.490 slash line with a .813 OPS earned him just 23 games with the Royals this year, and he struck out 23 times in 65 plate appearances.
The Criollos hope that Miranda and Melendez can provide a steady dose of consistency in their lineup as they seek their first LBPRC championship since the 2023-24 campaign.
Photo: Jose Miranda throws during the third inning of a baseball game against the Kansas City Royals, Thursday, April 10, 2025, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
