MINNEAPOLIS – The Edouard Julien era in Minnesota is over. The Twins traded Julien, along with right-hander Pierson Ohl, to the Rockies on Wednesday for Minor League righty Jace Kaminska and cash.
Ohl had previously been designated for assignment when the Twins signed Taylor Rogers and Victor Caratini last week. Julien’s move is somewhat more unexpected, though it was difficult to see how the left-handed-hitting infielder fit on the 2026 Twins roster.
Kaminska, a 10th-round Draft pick out of Nebraska in 2023, put up solid numbers for the Rockies’ Single-A Fresno affiliate in 2024. He was 5-5 with a 2.78 ERA, 104 strikeouts and 12 walks in 87 1/3 innings, allowing just six homers in the famously hitter-friendly California League. He missed the 2025 season recovering from Tommy John surgery on his right elbow last March.
However, the deal is likely as much about clearing 40-man roster space as it is about the return. The Twins have expressed a desire to bolster their bullpen, which currently is very inexperienced from the right side. Wednesday’s move gets them down to 39 players on the 40-man.
Julien was a breakout player in 2023, hitting 16 homers in 109 games and putting up a .381 on-base percentage for a Twins team that went to the postseason. His offense and defense both declined over the ensuing two years, though, and he spent most of 2025 at Triple-A St. Paul.