NASHVILLE — The Twins got better-than-expected news on a pair of players they’re relying on to play first base next season after both had surgery this fall.

The Twins were expecting Alex Kirilloff to need a labrum repair in his right shoulder. Instead, when he went under the knife in late October, he had a less invasive surgery — a bursectomy — with a shorter recovery timetable. The same goes for Jose Miranda, who dealt with a shoulder issue that plagued him all of last season. Upon his visit to the surgeon, the Twins found out that Miranda wouldn’t need a repair or a major surgery but rather just a cleanup in his right shoulder.

Both have been progressing well, president of baseball operations Derek Falvey said.

Kirilloff is primarily lifting, running and doing non-baseball activities that do not incorporate his upper body. Falvey said he was “in a good spot,” though he was not yet ready to put specifics on Kirilloff’s timeline for his return to baseball activities.

Miranda started his hitting progression this week, and Falvey said he is expecting him to start his throwing and defensive work after the first of the year, which “wouldn’t necessarily be timing that would be inconsistent with some other guys.”

The news on both leaves the Twins in a much better spot than they otherwise could be as they plot their way forward at first base.

Though Kirilloff has also played the outfield, manager Rocco Baldelli said he sees him as more of a first baseman now. While it’s much harder for the Twins to know what they can expect from Miranda — he had a down year at the plate last season but was managing through the shoulder issue all year — they expect him to get his reps at first base, too, as opposed to third base, where he saw much of his playing time during his rookie season.

Correa turning corner

Carlos Correa played almost all of last season with plantar fasciitis in his left foot before a rupture in his plantar fascia in September led to him finishing the regular season on the injured list. He returned in time for the playoffs.

There was no surgical procedure for his foot — what he needed, the Twins said all along, was simply rest. The offseason has afforded him the time to do that, and Falvey said the Twins feel as if he’s turned a corner in regards to his foot.

“It was really just about giving him time to heal, giving him some treatment during this period of time, and he’s tracking pretty well,” Falvey said.

Rivals win lottery

Major League Baseball’s first draft lottery was one of the most exciting moments of the Winter Meetings for the Twins last year. They made the biggest jump of any team under the new system, leaping from pick 13 to pick five, which they used to select top prospect Walker Jenkins.

On Tuesday, another AL Central team got lucky in the lottery when the Cleveland Guardians, who had just a two percent chance to land the top pick, jumped eight teams and will pick first.

The Twins, meanwhile, were happy to not be included in the lottery, after winning the American League Central division in 2023. They will have the 21st overall pick in the draft and have received another high draft pick as a result of starting pitcher Sonny Gray rejecting their qualifying offer and signing elsewhere for an amount of more than $50 million. That pick will be in the low 30s.

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