The Twins have optioned second baseman Edouard Julien to Triple-A St. Paul, per the staff’s transaction log at MLB.com. Dan Hayes of The Athletic reported final night time that the transfer was seemingly on the horizon, because the Twins must clear roster area for the return of infielder Royce Lewis, who’s anticipated to hitch the staff tomorrow for his or her collection opener in opposition to the Yankees.
Julien, 25, graduated from high prospect standing to the Twins’ obvious on a regular basis second baseman final yr when he hit .263/.381/.459 with 16 homers in 408 plate appearances as a rookie. Minnesota felt snug sufficient with the Canadian-born slugger at second base that they traded stalwart infielder Jorge Polanco to the Mariners this offseason when searching for methods to pare again the payroll.
Julien hit .223/.330/.500 with seven homers via the top of April, however he’s since fallen right into a stoop that’s seen him put up a bleak .169/.274/.181 slash over a span of 95 journeys to the plate. He’s nonetheless strolling at a hefty 12.6% clip however has additionally fanned at a 38% fee throughout that stoop (and in 34% of his plate appearances on the season total). Julien’s extraordinarily affected person strategy has helped him stroll in almost 15% of his MLB plate appearances, however that persistence can border on passivity as effectively. Jonathan India is the one certified hitter in baseball who’s swung at fewer pitches than Julien’s 37%.
The monthlong stoop will make Julien the roster casualty for the return of Lewis, who’s been Minnesota’s finest hitter when wholesome relationship again to his 2022 debut. Accidents have marred Lewis’ profession to this point — he’s twice torn his proper ACL and has been out since Opening Day as a consequence of a quad pressure — however the 2017 No. 1 total draft choose is a .313/.369/.564 hitter (159 wRC+) in 282 MLB plate appearances. He additionally swatted 4 homers in 26 postseason playoff appearances final yr (along with homering in his first at-bat of the 2024 common season).
With Lewis reclaiming the common third base job and Julien headed to St. Paul, the Twins’ infield will tackle a special look. Jose Miranda has been the staff’s main third baseman and, after a misplaced 2023 season, has reemerged as a key contributor. The 25-year-old Miranda (26 later this month) is one other former Twins high prospect who impressed as a rookie in 2022, popping 15 homers and batting .268/.325/.426 in 483 plate appearances. He tried to play via a shoulder impingement that finally required surgical procedure final season, hitting simply .211/.263/.303 in 40 large league video games.
Now that his shoulder is again at full energy, Miranda seems like his previous self. He’s taken 151 turns on the plate and delivered a quite-productive .280/.311/.469 slash with six homers and 9 doubles. Miranda doesn’t stroll a lot (3.3% this season, 5.3% profession) however places the ball in play at a really excessive fee (14.6% strikeout fee this yr, 17.4% profession) and has loads of extra-base pop. Although he performed some second base within the minors, it doesn’t appear seemingly he’ll accomplish that at this level. He’ll rotate between the infield corners and designated hitter, however utilityman Willi Castro figures to select up the majority of taking part in time at second base. The switch-hitting Castro is out to a .260/.335/.420 begin and has expertise taking part in everywhere in the diamond.
The Twins might’ve made a extra aggressive roster choice, slicing ties with a struggling veteran as an alternative. However Carlos Santana has rebounded from an terrible begin to bat .253/.340/.434 over the previous 30 days. Kyle Farmer and Manuel Margot each have ugly numbers on the entire, however as Hayes notes, Margot is hitting left-handers pretty effectively and Farmer is valued each for his defensive versatility and his management within the clubhouse. Optioning Julien additionally preserves depth in a method that parting with somebody like Farmer or Margot wouldn’t; each gamers might reject outright assignments to the minors in favor of free company.
The Twins’ infield crunch falls into the “good drawback to have” bucket of cliches. Julien’s demotion actually doesn’t change the group’s view that he generally is a helpful long-term contributor, however he’ll head to Triple-A for what’s more likely to be a comparatively short-term reset. Presumably, within the occasion of an damage within the infield or at nearly any non-catcher spot among the many staff’s position-player corps, Julien can be the primary man again up. (Castro might slide proper again right into a super-utility function or into an on a regular basis outfield function.)
From a service time vantage level, Julien’s stoop might doubtlessly value him, nevertheless. He entered the season with 135 days of MLB service. Had he stayed within the majors for good, he’d have been a slam-dunk Tremendous Two participant following the 2025 season. It’s nonetheless doable he reaches that designation however is now removed from a positive factor. Julien has already reached one full yr of MLB service, so this project gained’t influence his timeline to free company, however it might doubtlessly value him a fourth journey via the arbitration course of.
