Royce Lewis is currently with the St. Paul Saints on a rehab assignment, and it looks likely that he will rejoin the Minnesota Twins before turning 25 on June 5.
After being removed from the game due to an oblique strain, Lewis has not been in the Twins starting lineup since the third inning on Opening Day. Before leaving the game, he went 2-for-2 and blasted a leadoff home run.
The Twins need to make a personnel move that will alter their lineup when Lewis gets back. After Lewis is activated, there are three players who could be demoted to Triple-A or removed from the team: Kyle Farmer, Edouard Julien, or Trevor Larnach.
Larnach, who has minor-league options, has been hitting well since his three-run home run on Monday during the Twins’ 6-5 victory over the Kansas City Royals. But compared to his first 12 games with the Twins this season, his subsequent 15 games have been better. In his last 40 at-bats, he has considerably cooled off, registering a.188 batting average, a.250 on-base percentage, and a.250 slugging percentage.
But by having Larnach on the roster, the Twins are able to give guys like Alex Kirilloff and Willi Castro more freedom, as they are not required to be the starting left field platoon. However, if Larnach’s bat doesn’t heat up before Lewis gets back, they might choose to option him.
Julien, on the other hand, is experiencing a sophomore slump. The French-Canadian, 25, has made significant defensive progress, but his plate discipline is lacking.
In his previous 40 plate appearances as of Monday, he has only drawn two walks, an odd statistic for the team leader in walks (23). His strikeout rate (34.1%) ranks sixth in MLB according to FanGraphs, another evidence that he is starting to hit too selectively. Julien has compiled a.188/.288/.203 and a.491 OPS in May, but he is still displaying glimpses of his hitting prowess.
When Lewis returns, a lot of his metrics suggest that he ought to be sent back down to St. Paul. In an attempt to consistently hit the perfect pitch, he is overcompensating. By putting Farmer in a platoon of left-handed starters and moving Willi Castro into the starting lineup full-time against righties, they can survive at second base.
They might demote Farmer if they don’t send Julien down. It appeared as though his career was nearly over a month ago. He had a.440 OPS at the end of April and a triple slash of.121/.250/.190. But in May, he rebounded, hitting.250/.300/.357 with a.657 OPS in 30 plate appearances.
Farmer’s playing time in May was restricted due to his subpar performances in March and April. To keep him on the roster, Minnesota’s front management needed to show progress. And they succeeded in getting them. The farmer has improved greatly and acquired confidence. So when Lewis comes back, they’re not going to cut him.
Additionally, Minnesota’s Triple-A infield depth isn’t very strong enough for the Major Leagues. Although he is a left-handed batter and has only hit.203/.330/.351 in 22 games with the Saints, Tony Kemp, 32, is one alternative. Brooks Lee is currently undergoing treatment. He has advanced to continue that task with Low-A Ft. Myers, though. Another option is veteran Twins farmhand Michael Helman, who just had a fantastic week in Buffalo, hitting.250/.354/.468 with a.822 OPS for the Saints.
As the summer approaches, the Twins cannot afford to lose any depth in the organisation, regardless of how players fare at Triple-A. It makes the most sense to option Julien for Lewis because of this.
Throughout May, Julien has demonstrated that he is not at his best when he is at the plate. In Triple-A, where dealing with the day-to-day grind is less stressful, he needs to take action to rectify the situation. In his absence, the Twins can get by with Castro and Farmer sharing time at second base. While they’re doing that, maybe Julien can rip through Triple-A pitching and get back to his former self.
