Twins' Edouard Julien: Trending toward making roster
Rotowire
Julien appears to likely to win a spot on the major league roster even with Brooks Lee having a strong spring, Matthew Leach of MLB.com reports. Julien is hitting .273 (6-for-22) with a home run and three walks in eight games this spring.
Julien is competing with Lee for the starting second base job with Willi Castro also likely to get time at the position. Julien could also get time at first base as well. Julien has struggled in the field this spring (two errors at 2B, one at 1B), however. At this point it's still not clear what the Twins plan to do at second base, but Julien remains in the mix to win a roster spot and could still find playing time against right-handed pitching.
... See More... See Less
Twins' Edouard Julien: Competing for 2B job
Rotowire
Julien is battling Brooks Lee for the starting second base job this spring with Willi Castro also likely to get time at the position, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports. He started at second base in his spring debut Sunday and went 1-for-3.
Julien was thought to be a possible platoon partner at first base earlier in the winter, but Minnesota's signing of Ty France likely limits him to second base for any starting job. Julien's role is in flux as he could win the second base job, platoon at first base (or DH or 2B) or even begin the season in the minors. Julien displayed a mix of exceptional plate discipline and power in 2023 with a .381 OBP and .195 ISO, but he struggled with a .615 OPS last season and spent much of the year in the minors.
Julien is absent from the lineup for Friday's game against the Orioles.
It's lefty Cade Povich on the mound for the Orioles, but Julien hardly played lately regardless of the handedness of the opposing pitcher, starting just one of the last nine contests. Ryan Jeffers will be the Twins' designated hitter and will bat seventh.
Julien is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Guardians.
Julien looks like he could be moving out of the strong-side platoon role at second base that he's held since receiving a call-up from Triple-A St. Paul in mid-August. He'll hit the bench for the third time in four games Wednesday, with two of those absences coming against right-handed pitchers.
Julien is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Guardians.
The lefty-hitting Julien will remain on the bench for a second straight game, this time against a lefty (Matthew Boyd) after he was out of the lineup against Reds righty Rhett Lowder on Sunday. Julien should still see the bulk of the starts at second base until Max Kepler (knee) returns from the injured list, at which point super-utility man Willi Castro may see fewer opportunities in the outfield and instead find a home at the keystone.
... See More... See Less
Twins' Edouard Julien: Absent from lineup
Rotowire
Julien is not in the starting lineup for Sunday's game against the Reds, Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic reports.
Julien will begin Sunday's game in the dugout after going 0-for-7 with three strikeouts over the first two games of the series. Kyle Farmer will start at second base and bat eighth against Cincinnati right-hander Rhett Lowder.
