Optioning Alex Kirilloff, Jose Miranda, or Trevor Larnach instead
Why It Made Sense
There could be reasons for each of these guys to have been sent down over Julien, but none of them make that much sense. If anything it helps soothe the pain of optioning Julien by pointing out that trying to pick one of the young guys on the roster to send down is harder than it should be -- which is a very good thing.
Why It Didn't Happen
Some silver lining to Julien getting optioned is that it means the other young players on the roster are playing well enough to have firmly secured spots. Nobody embodies that more than Jose Miranda, who has done a complete about face and turned things around in ways not many were expected but everyone is thrilled to see.
It seemed everything that happened last year pushed Miranda both to the edge of the roster bubble and out of mind for most fans. He was a victim of circumstance, as poor play and injuries forced him to regress at the same time Royce Lewis was rising to stardom. That appeared to have knocked Miranda out of Minnesota's long-term plans, but he's experienced a total resurgence this year, slashing .280/.311/.469 while making himself essential to the lineup.
Trevor Larnach is on a similar path. Like Miranda it appeared he had been bumped out of the picture by Matt Wallner, but Larnach replaced him on the roster earlier this year and hasn't looked back. So far this season he's hitting .270/.333/.470 with six home runs and has firmly established his place in the outfield platoon.
Alex Kirilloff is the only one out of the group where there might have been a conversation about optioning him over Julien, but he fills a few defensive holes that gives him an edge. He offers depth behind Carlos Santana at first, has played both right and left field, and has spent time at DH as well. Julien doesn't offer than much versatility, plus Kirilloff's .218 average and .699 OPS gives him a slight edge at the plate as well.