Twins 2019 Draft Pick To Have Tommy John Surgery

According to the newspaper article (using the "Translate" tool to translate from French to English), Julien first injured his elbow while playing for Team Canada in the recent Pan Am Games in Lima, Peru.

In the article, Julien notes that during a pre-game round of infield, he was manning second base (he played mostly third base at Auburn).He noted that during the work "in my elbow, I felt a pop."

Julien tells the reporter that trainers thought maybe it was a displaced nerve, but an MRI showed the tear in the ulnar ligament.

Instead of participating in the Twins instructional league work and offseason strength and conditioning programs, Julien said he expects to undergo about an eight-month rehab process. Much of the rehab will be done with Twins trainers in Ft. Myers. According to the article, Julien will have the procedure done by Dr. James Andrews in early September.

----------------------------------------------------------

Julien was a freshman All-American as a freshman in 2018 when he hit .275/.398/.556 (.954) with seven doubles and 17 home runs. His 69 RBI set the school's freshman RBI total set by Hall of Famer Frank Thomas over 30 years ago.

Julien was arrested that summer for public intoxication, a misdemeanor. In 2019, he hit. 248/.378/.435 (.812) with 14 doubles and nine homers. Julien, along with Twins fifth-round pick Will Holland, manned the left side of the infield and helped Auburn to the 2019 College World Series.

The Twins drafted him in the 18th round in June.

It came as a surprise to many when Julien signed on the final day that he could. A couple of weeks earlier, he had tweeted a pledge that he was going to go back to Auburn for another year.

However, after the draft-eligible sophomore played six games in the Cape Cod League, the Twins had some bonus money available as the deadline approached and ultimately signed Julien for $493,500, nearly $375,000 over the $125,000 limit for players drafted after the 11th round.

He never did get a plate appearance after signing and before going to the Pan Am Games.

The Twins have had their fair share of Tommy John surgeries by position players. Miguel Sano and Alex Kirilloff have missed a season due to the surgery. Akil Baddoo had Tommy John surgery earlier this season and is expected to be ready for spring training.