Baseball

Édouard Julien’s playing time impacted by Josh Bell’s arrival with the Twins
Maxime Trudeau
Édouard Julien’s playing time impacted by Josh Bell’s arrival with the Twins
Credit: Credit: Yahoo Sports

The holiday season is upon us, and for most people, it's synonymous with cheer, smiles, and festivities. However, one person who may not have peace of mind during this festive season is Québécois baseball player Édouard Julien. News broke earlier today that will have a direct impact on his work. The Minnesota Twins, for whom he has played since his MLB debut, have reached an agreement with free agent Josh Bell. The terms of the agreement are one year and seven million, with a mutual option for 2027.

Bell is a 33-year-old veteran who knows his way around tobacco, rolling his hump in the big leagues since the 2016 campaign. Unfortunately for Julien, he's notably a first baseman, and when he's not lining up defensively, he's more often than not used as a designated hitter due to his ambidextrous status. His acquisition will undeniably impact the Québécois' playing time in 2026.

His chair seems to have taken a beating

Since his debut in 2023, Julien has mainly flown the second cushion, in addition to the designated hitter role. In 2025, however, he started 26 games at first base, compared with 25 at second. He also played one game at shortstop.

There seemed to be a tendency for Julien to see him become a first baseman. The 26-year-old isn't an ace defensively, but he has a good eye at bat, collecting bases on balls. He gets on base, and that's invaluable to a team. The idea of moving him to the #3 position and giving him games as DH made perfect sense.

The arrival of Josh Bell has undoubtedly bucked this trend.

Even before the veteran was hired, nothing was certain for number 47. Far from it. There was internal competition for playing time at forward, and that competition only intensified on December 15, 2025.

The carpet slips from underfoot

The trend is downward for the main character in this text. In 2023, he played 109 games for the Twins. In 2024, 94. Last season, 64. Management seems to have lost faith in its youngster, and Bell's arrival confirms this, if you read between the lines.

In Minnesota's defense, Julien has never really established himself as a pillar of his team. In baseball, playing time is awarded on merit. There's no need to cry foul. Julien will have to pull himself together and prove to management that they made a mistake in bringing Bell to the North Star state.

Is the solution to Julien's problems a change of scenery? Maybe yes, maybe no. But it's out of his hands. However, he can control his attitude, winter practice, and training camp to force his manager's hand, or catch the eye of one of the other 29 clubs. In short, he must be the master of his own destiny.

This content was created with the help of AI.

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