FORT MYERS, Fla. -- The Twins expect Jose Miranda to be healthy enough to start at third base for Thursday’s Opening Day matchup against the Royals, which should save them the headache of having to move players around the field to accommodate an alternative.

Though Miranda was limited to starting at designated hitter for most of Spring Training due to a sore right shoulder that also prevented him from playing in the World Baseball Classic, he eventually worked his way into games at first base, then into a pair of starts at third toward the very end of camp, including in Monday’s 8-4 victory over the Pirates at Hammond Stadium.

Miranda is still not throwing at 100 percent, but he should be in good-enough condition to get the job done on Thursday, manager Rocco Baldelli said.

“He's been very consistent and accurate in getting his work in at third base,” Baldelli said. “He's done everything we could ask him to do. The full allotment of arm strength is still returning, but he's been able to effectively make all the plays. We'll take that.”

This is good news for the Twins for two reasons: Firstly, because Miranda’s bat has been tremendous throughout Spring Training, with five homers, a .325 average and a 1.225 OPS. Secondly, if Miranda had been limited to first base, the Twins would likely have had to leave either Joey Gallo or Trevor Larnach out of their Opening Day lineup in favor of righty Kyle Farmer, which would have made for a worse matchup against Zack Greinke.

Such is the Twins’ roster calculus right now with Byron Buxton locked into the designated hitter slot -- and having Miranda at third is the best way for the Twins to maintain the flexibility they need.

Miranda says he should be at 100 percent “soon,” and it helps that the Twins have one more Spring Training game on Tuesday and a workout day at Kauffman Stadium on Wednesday to continue his recovery and strengthening.

“I've got to keep working hard every day with the trainers, doing all the stuff they're telling me to do, and I think I'm going to keep improving and trying to get super ready for the season,” Miranda said.

Polanco hopes to progress to games soon
Jorge Polanco plans to hit in front of the Twins’ training staff on Tuesday and hopes that will bring more clarity to his immediate future as he ramps up to join the Twins. He is building up from a setback in the bone bruise to his left knee that has ailed him since late last season.

Polanco experienced the setback about two weeks ago, he said, when he experienced continued soreness in the knee that caused him to stop his live hitting and go back to his rehab and strengthening routines. He still had not hit live pitching as of Monday, but he was taking ground balls, swinging and running at 100 percent, he said.

Polanco plans to continue his buildup in Fort Myers as part of extended Spring Training. He’s not sure when he’ll get into games or how many he’ll need to feel ready, but Baldelli said that process should begin soon.

“It's tough, I'm not going to lie,” Polanco said. “It's tough for me to not be part of Opening Day. At the same time, it's good for me, so I can get ready to go out there and have a good thing. … I know we're going to start the season strong, and I know I'm going to get better. I'm going to get healthy, and I'm going to join them when I feel really good.”

“I think he'll be back soon, I really do,” Baldelli said. “Nobody knows when exactly that's going to be, but I think it's going to be soon.”