Edouard Julien returns to the Twins lineup, but it’s costing Carlos Correa

It’s been a minute since we’ve seen Edouard Julien in the Minnesota Twins lineup, but that streak will end on Saturday. 

When Twins return to action against Milwaukee, Julien will be back on the 26-man roster, along with Austin Martin. Both of them were called up to join the team as the second half the season starts but it’s a move that will cost Minnesota a pair of key pieces. Carlos Correa was placed on the IL, and while they won’t be out for long the Twins will miss the offense they’ve been providing over the last month.

The upside is getting Julien back, though, and seeing if his time in Triple-A has helped him fix the issues that were plaguing his otherwise reliable bat. 

Julien was sent down back at the beginning of June to make room for Royce Lewis returning to the lineup. He was hitting  just .207 at the time of his demotion, which is a far cry from what he’s been capable of in the past. Minnesota needed him to help turn the season around last season and he was an important piece of the Twins’ youth movement that spurred the deepest postseason run since 2002. 

He was a shell of himself this season though. Some time down in the minors didn’t outwardly make him take leaps forward but the Twins are hoping it has a similar effect to what happened with Matt Wallner, who returned to the lineup and was a completely different hitter. 

Losing Correa is tough, but it’s probably the best move for the long haul. His plantar fasciitis flared up on the foot that didn’t bother him last year, something that held him out of the All-Star Game this year. 

Minnesota needs him in October, though, which is were this decision is rooted. The Twins have some work to do in order to catch up to Cleveland in the AL Central, but there’s a lot of baseball left to be played. Correa was on a historic tear after getting called out for not providing enough offense, which is what the Twins are hoping to preserve by placing him on the IL.

Getting Julien back is an intriguing development to begin the second half, and here to hoping he fixed his swing and can again be the hitter Minnesota needs him to be. 

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