Time for Twins' Jorge Polanco to try third base, with Edouard Julien locking up second

La Velle's 3-2 Pitch: Three observations and two predictions on Sundays.

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Jorge Polanco moved from shortstop to second base in 2021, just two years after playing in an All-Star game at shortstop. "I think I can be pretty dang good at second base," he said during spring training that year.

Polanco made the switch to help the team then. And he's about to make another switch to help the team now.

Twins manager Rocco Baldelli contacted Polanco on Friday and asked him to play a little third base while on his rehabilitation assignment at Class AAA St. Paul. Polanco, with three hits in 18 at-bats over his first five games there, literally and figuratively answered the call.

"He's always completely good for whatever's going to help the team," Baldelli said. "That's what always comes out of his mouth, every time I've approached him with anything, that's the first thing he says. So he's gonna continue to work, he's gonna get work in at second, but he's gonna get probably even more work in at third."

Fans and scribes are quick to suggest position switches, but it's a big challenge for the player. So Polanco's willingness to add third base to his resumé shows he's more interested in the Twins fielding their strongest lineup possible.

Keep in mind that Polanco likes to sling the ball to first base, which might not work well from third, so he's assuming some risk. Baldelli acknowledged that it might take time for Polanco to get comfortable there.

Polanco has done nothing to force the move, other than straining his hamstring twice this season. The day after Polanco's June 8 injury, Edouard Julien was summoned from Class AAA St. Paul. Julien entered this weekend scorching opposing pitchers with a .378 average since then — an outrageous .500 in July. His defense needs work, but Julien is a keeper and should remain at second base and boost a needy offense.

"I would really like to find a way to keep Edouard Julien in the lineup," Baldelli said, "and playing regularly too."

Polanco, batting .250 with five homers and 16 RBI in 30 games before his latest visit to the injured list, has long held a prominent spot in the Twins batting order. He could return to that spot as soon as midweek. Julien and Alex Kirilloff have sparked an offensive revival, with some help from new leadoff hitter Carlos Correa. Adding an accomplished hitter like Polanco to the mix lengthens the lineup.

If the Twins ever get fully healthy — Royce Lewis is recovering from an oblique strain — they will need versatile players to make the daily lineups work. Baldelli must get his best hitters in the lineup. Julien is one now. Polanco has been one. So it's a good thing that Polanco is ordering a third baseman's glove.

It would be great to watch Rory McIlroy duel with Jon Rahm at the 3M Open in Blaine. It would be awesome to watch the giants of golf navigate hole No. 18, where going for the green in two can be hazardous to your scorecard. But it won't happen as long as the event is held the week following the British Open.

And that is perfectly fine.

The fifth 3M Open, which begins on Thursday at the TPC Twin Cities, remains a destination event for local golf fans. The sightlines are great. The refreshments are plenty. The course has water on 15 of its 18 holes, so it's representative of the state. There are things to keep children occupied. It's a great spot to hang out and watch some of the less-heralded golfers scavenge for FedEx Cup points. I'll have no problems this week watching Billy Horschel wear his emotions on his sleeve or Joel Dahmen possibly taking off his shirt.

The beginning of the Women's World Cup is appealing to hardcore soccer fans for one big reason: less flopping. Studies have shown that men's soccer players flop twice as often as women's players — which means a lot of NBA players must watch men's soccer because their flopping has gotten so bad that the league is adding penalties for such infractions. The act of flopping — or simulation, as the purists call it — can draw a yellow card in soccer but rarely is applied. So men's players pretend their life is in peril once they are touched.

Give me women's soccer at the highest level, where they connect with lengthy passes, get up and down the field, score from distance and stay on their feet. Enjoy the next few weeks.

... AND TWO PREDICTIONS ...

Prediction: The Twins will not trade for a hitter before the Aug. 2 deadline. As soon as they inquire about any hitter of quality, the request will be for either Royce Lewis or Brooks Lee in return, and the Twins won't go there.

Vikings cornerback Akayleb Evans will have a healthy training camp and prove he's ready to be a full-time starter in Brian Flores' defense.