Don't panic for Édouard Julien

DAY

The future of Quebecer Édouard Julien is indeed with the Minnesota Twins. His demotion to the AAA level deserves some clarification. 

Baseball fans who might have perceived a hint of disavowal from the Twins organization towards Julien are in the field!

Professional baseball remains a “business”. There were few candidates to be demoted without consequence for the Twins when Jorge Polanco's name was removed from the injured list. Otherwise, if the Minnesota organization is able to limit Julien to less than 130 days of service in the majors in 2023, they will do so, thus retaining his rookie status, which also means an option for one more year on the Quebecois. 

This is part of the reality for a market like that of the Twins, renowned for developing their players well themselves, like the Montreal Expos at the time. Moreover, the Quebecer, who will celebrate his 24th birthday on Sunday, has every interest in playing regularly in order to continue his progress. Julien will be back sooner rather than later in major league baseball and it will be, rest assured, in a Twins uniform. 

Polanco is fine

< p>Concretely, the return of the Quebecer to the Saints of St. Paul is therefore explained by the return of Polanco. The Dominican, who plays at second base like Julien, is a 29-year-old veteran. He has done very well since he came back, with seven hits in 18 appearances. He helped the Twins win 3-1 over the Washington Nationals on Sunday at Minnesota on three hits, including a home run.

“We like to play at Target Field, it's a nice place to show up day after day, confided the manager of the Twins Rocco Baldelli, last week. We are comfortable at home and it always feels good for guys to finally sleep at home, in their bed. After a stint at Yankee Stadium and Fenway Park, it's nice to be back in Minnesota for a little bit.”

Since Julien's demotion, the Twins (13-10) have lost two of three games against the Nationals at Target Field, but they signed a significant 6-1 victory Monday night against the Yankees, thanks to their pitcher Sonny Grey. The Twins are set to wrap up their three-game series against New York on Wednesday before extending their long home stint with four games against Kansas City.

Physically close

Twenty kilometers from Minneapolis, at CHS Field, Julien has been limited to one hit in 10 appearances since his return with the Saints. The Quebecer was effective otherwise, drawing five bases on walks in three games. 

In short, even if he had hit a few more home runs or drawn free passes, Julien was predestined to return to the AAA level upon Polanco's arrival. The proximity of homes is reminiscent of the situation of CH and Rocket de Laval. Very handy for an encore when both clubs are at home!