NEW YORK — When rain washed away Tuesday's Twins-Yankees game, it also dashed the chance for Jose Miranda's cousin to see him play live.

Though to be fair, Miranda still hasn't seen his cousin in action yet, either.

Lin-Manuel Miranda — the creator and star of the hit Broadway musical "Hamilton" who has made a name for himself as a writer, composer, rapper, actor and director — was supposed to travel to Yankee Stadium from his nearby Washington Heights neighborhood to see Jose Miranda in his remarkable rookie major league season. Instead, the family had to pivot to a more intimate gathering.

A lot of Mirandas were in town, including eight or nine who traveled from their native Puerto Rico. Jose Miranda said it was mainly relatives from his dad's side, including his father, uncle and their cousin. They had dinner at Bocaditos in Washington Heights, and the two most famous Mirandas posed for pictures and selfies together, one of which Lin-Manuel Miranda posted on his Instagram story for his 384,000 followers.

"I haven't seen them since the offseason," Jose Miranda said. "We had a good talk and spent some time."

Jose Miranda was batting .273 ahead of Thursday's game at the Yankees, with 60 RBI, 18 doubles and 14 home runs through 98 games, playing mostly at third and first base. Despite his baseball skills, his celebrity cousin is still a frequent topic of conversation when media or fans talk with him.

He has embraced the connection, though, including OKing a SotaStick shirt design that uses the Hamilton logo — a black star on a yellow backdrop — but replaces the silhouette of Hamilton with an image of Jose Miranda swinging the bat. He's also rolled with the Twins frequently referencing — via photo captions or playing it in-game at Target Field — the Hamilton song "My Shot" whenever he has a big hit.

"Everyone asks me about him, but it's fine," Miranda said with a laugh. "I'll answer questions, and I'll answer whatever they think to ask me about him."

Buxton still recovering

Center fielder Byron Buxton has not yet restarted baseball activities. He is still on the injured list with a low-grade right hip strain as well as patellar tendinitis in his right knee.

Buxton has been doing lower-body exercises, hydrotherapy and soft tissue work without increased symptoms. But there is still not a timeline for his return, his most recent game for the Twins being Aug. 22.

"We're still kind of at the beginning phases of getting him moving and activating different parts of his lower half and getting back to some baseball activity," Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. "We're not quite there yet."

The Twins have only 26 regular-season games left after Thursday's game, and several players will be trying to make a return in that time. Jorge Polanco, who is on the IL with left patellar tendinitis and hasn't played since Aug. 27, played a bit of catch Thursday, but that was the most baseball activity he'd managed so far.

Starter Bailey Ober plans to pitch five innings with 80 pitches Sunday for the Saints as his comeback from a groin strain nears. Outfielder Trevor Larnach, who had surgery on a core muscle injury at the end of June, should play an intrasquad game in Fort Myers, Fla., on Friday, though whether he will play the field or just hit is yet to be determined.

Etc.

  • Buxton is the Twins nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award for his contributions on and off the field. He set a career high with 28 home runs this season and has continued his work supporting military families.
  • The Twins made several roster moves Thursday. One was returning Wednesday afternoon starter Louie Varland to Class AAA, as he was the 29th man for the doubleheader. And with the number of bullpen arms the Twins used in those games, they returned Cole Sands from the IL after a right elbow contusion to serve as a long reliever. The Twins designated Austin Davis, who the Twins picked up on waivers just more than a week ago, for assignment to clear room. The team also just DFA'ed another recent waiver claim, pitcher Jake Jewell, to make room for Varland on the 40-man.