Edouard Julien

The Twins have Julien DHing, Trevor Larnach playing left field and Harrison Bader sitting tonight. It makes for their best offensive lineup, at the cost of some outfield defense. They could have used Julien at second, Willi Castro in left and Larnach at DH instead, but that would have weakened the infield.

That's the case even though all three games have been against right-handers. Julien had a solid spring, hitting .281/.349/.456, but the Twins seem to be prioritizing defense in using Willi Castro at second base and Harrison Bader in left field. Julien at second and Castro in left seems like a better alignment against righties.

Lee dealt with a back issue during the late stages of camp and will open the regular season on the shelf. His absence allows Edouard Julien to open the year at second base with Willi Castro taking over at the hot corner. Back issues can be complicated matters, but fantasy managers should anticipate seeing Brooks return at some point in April.

The Twins optioned infielder/outfielder Austin Martin to Triple-A St. Paul this morning, per a team announcement. They’ve also informed catcher/infielder Mickey Gasper and outfielder DaShawn Keirsey Jr. that they’ll break camp on the Opening Day roster, per Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. That sequence likely locks infielder Edouard Julien into the final…

The Twins optioned infielder/outfielder Austin Martin to Triple-A St. Paul this morning, per a team announcement. They’ve also informed catcher/infielder Mickey Gasper and outfielder DaShawn Keirsey Jr. that they’ll break camp on the Opening Day roster, per Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. That sequence likely locks infielder Edouard Julien into the final…