Steve Adams | MLB Trade Rumors

The Rockies are set to designate infielder Edouard Julien for assignment and recall outfielder Zac Veen from Triple-A Albuquerque, reports Kyle Newman of the Denver Post.

Colorado added Julien and righty Pierson Ohl from the Twins in an offseason swap sending minor league righty Jace Kaminska back to Minnesota. Kaminska still hasn’t made his way back from 2024 Tommy John surgery. Ohl underwent his own Tommy John procedure during spring training, and Julien has now lost his roster spot. So far, that minor swap hasn’t been fruitful for any of the involved parties.

Julien, 27, has been the Rockies’ primary second baseman this season. He’s played shaky defense and struggled at the plate, hitting just .208/.322/.292 with three homers in 276 turns at the plate. Julien has a huge 14.1% walk rate but has also fanned in nearly 26% of his plate appearances and been shielded almost entirely from left-handed pitching (just 26 plate appearances).

Prior to his big league debut with the Twins, Julien was a highly touted prospect. A lack of defensive value meant he’d always have to hit to stay on the big league roster, but he did that in spades throughout his minor league tenure. The Quebec-born infielder posted at least an .891 OPS at every minor league level and was hailed as a potential OBP machine who’d spend the bulk of his time at second base, first base or designated hitter. In five minor league seasons, he hit .277/.428/.472.

The walks have carried over to the majors, but Julien’s hit tool and power have regressed and his defense has never come around. He hit .263/.381/.459 in 109 games as a rookie with the ’23 Twins but has just a .208/.307/.313 line in 785 plate appearances since. He’s out of minor league options, so the Rockies had no choice but to designate him for assignment. There’s a good chance he’ll now clear waivers, though perhaps a non-contending team will see if a change of scenery can reawaken some of his slumbering tools in the batter’s box.

Turning to Veen, the former top prospect will get another chance to establish himself in the majors after a huge year in Triple-A. Veen floundered with a .118/.189/.235 showing in a tiny cup of coffee last summer (37 plate appearances) and has seen his once lofty prospect stock diminish amid lackluster performances at the top minor league level.

In 2026, Veen has been reborn. He’s played in 100 games, tallied 445 plate appearances and bashed 24 homers with a .327/.402/.635 batting line. That’s 42% better than average in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League, by measure of wRC+. Veen’s 20.4% strikeout rate is well shy of the 26.1% mark he posted in his first look at Triple-A pitching, and he’s walked at a 10.8% clip while going 18-for-20 in stolen base attempts. After a relatively slow eight weeks to begin the season, he’s exploded with a .364/.402/.782 slash in his past 256 turns at the plate.

This is the second of three minor league option seasons for Veen. He’ll have one option year remaining beyond the current season, but the Rockies will obviously hope he’s in the majors for good from this point forth. He’ll join an outfield mix that includes breakout rookie Cole Carrigg, resurgent left fielder Jake McCarthy, recently extended Mickey Moniak and former top prospect Jordan Beck. The trade of Brenton Doyle only further creates playing time for young options like Carrigg, Beck and Veen. Beck hasn’t hit righties at all in the majors but does carry a solid .270/.315/.446 slash against lefties, so there’s some potential platoon utility for him even if he no longer looks like a potential everyday option.