In yet another move, the Colorado Rockies announced this morning that they have acquired infielder Edouard Julien and right-handed pitcher Pierson Ohl from the Minnesota Twins in exchange for minor league pitcher Jace Kaminska and money considerations.
Out of minor league options, Julien, 26, joins the club after spending parts of three seasons with the Twins. Originally drafted in the 18th round out of Auburn University in 2019, the native of Quebec City, Canada, has slashed .232/.336/.382 in his big league career. He emerged as a rookie in 2023, slashing .263/.381/.459 with 16 home runs and finishing seventh in the American League Rookie of the Year voting. However, he struggled with playing time over the next two seasons, highlighted by a rough 2025 campaign in which he hit just .220 with a .633 OPS in 64 games.
Julien spent most of the year in Triple-A, where he hit .276 with an .879 OPS, 33 runs scored and 21 extra-base hits, including 11 home runs in 70 games. Strikeouts have certainly been an issue for him in his big league career, coming in at 31.7%, but he has also posted an above-average 13% walk rate. Defensively, he gives the Rockies a bit of versatility on the right side of the infield, at the two most precarious positions. He started 159 games at second base and 23 at first base. The added bonus is that he is a left-handed hitter.
Ohl, 26, was recently designated for assignment by the Twins. Ohl was selected by the Twins in the 14th round out of Grand Canyon University in 2021 and ultimately made his big league debut in 2025, going 0-3 with a 5.10 ERA and 27 strikeouts against five walks in 30 innings over 14 games, including three starts. His minor league career, which spanned five seasons, paints a better picture. He owns a career 3.61 ERA in 394 innings, over 90 appearances. He recorded 373 strikeouts and a 1.13 WHIP and was named a Texas League Post-Season All-Star in 2023 and 2025.
He has been used primarily as a starter throughout his career and could fit into the mix for the Rockies’ rotation while remaining an option as a swingman out of the bullpen. According to Statcast, he features a mix of mostly four pitches, including a 92 MPH four-seam fastball, along with a cutter, curveball and changeup. Statcast also indicates that he threw five knuckleballs in 2025. Aside from the fastball, his other pitches generated a whiff rate of at least 20%, while his changeup yielded 13 of his 27 strikeouts. He pounds the zone and doesn’t give up many walks.
Kaminska did not pitch in 2025 as he recovered from elbow surgery. Drafted in the 10th round out of the University of Nebraska in 2023, he went 5-5 with a 2.78 ERA over 17 appearances, including 16 starts, over his first two seasons in the minors with the Arizona Complex League and the Low-A Fresno Grizzlies. In 2024, he struck out 104 against just 12 walks in 87 1/3 innings.
The team now has a full roster of 40 men.
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