The way the Twins are arranging things to make place for Royce Lewis on the MLB roster could be a major mistake.
Fans of the Minnesota Twins experienced a peculiar spectrum of emotions on Sunday as they saw a 4-3 victory against the Astros be overshadowed by reports that Edouard Julien would be demoted.
Although nothing has been officially announced, all indications point to Julien being the player who would forfeit his roster spot to make place for Royce Lewis, who is expected to return to Minnesota’s starting lineup this week. A few Twins writers noticed that Julien was seen hugging his teammates after being called into Rocco Baldelli’s office during Sunday’s game, including Phil Miller, the beat writer for the Star Tribune.
The move is a little surprising. While Julien was undoubtedly not performing at his best, he was also far from the player most likely to be transferred to make place for Lewis. Sending him to St. Paul may have been a blessing in disguise because he went hitless in Sunday’s victory, bringing his batting average down to.206.
Lewis’s return means that, should Julien succeed in being the player he was in St. Paul last season, the Twins may effectively quadruple their offensive output. This decision had long-term benefits, but it was also not entirely necessary, especially considering that there were at least two alternative options that could have, and probably should, have been taken instead.
The Twins’ decision to option Edouard Julien puts pressure on Kyle Farmer to improve the situation.
While Julien’s decision to travel to St. Paul makes sense in terms of providing him an opportunity to slightly reset his offense, the Twins are forfeiting the opportunity to make one of two other potentially significant moves.
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