Twins minor league report

When righthander Boof Bonser came to the Twins as part of the A.J. Pierzynski trade during the offseason, club officials said they thought he could contribute to the major league team sometime during this season.

So far, the club has seen none of the skills that made him a former first-round selection by the Giants.

Bonser on Thursday was crushed for six runs in 1 2/3 innings for Class AA New Britain. His record dropped to 0-4 while his ERA soared to 6.52.

He throws a good fastball (92 miles an hour), curveball and changeup. But in 29 innings, he has given up 33 hits and walked 11 while striking out 24.

Jim Rantz, the Twins' director of minor leagues, was asked if Bonser needed more time to adjust to a new organization.

"Well, there's always a certain amount of adjusting," Rantz said, "but he was in this same league last year [at Scranton]."

Not good when some in the organization thought he'd start the season at Class AAA Rochester.

"He just needs to get it going," Rantz said. "Just too many pitches behind in the count."

Span sputters at Quad City

Span, the Twins' first-round pick in 2002, is batting .194 at Class A Quad City through 24 games. His situation differs from Bonser's a little bit.

The Twins want Span to learn how to bunt so he can use his blazing speed, so he lays one or two down a night. The numbers suggest he's still struggling when the bunt is not on.

But Span, 19, is a good outfielder who covers tons of ground and has made only one error.

"He's just trying to catch up to the league," Rantz said, "but he can go get the ball. He's having a tough time getting the bat on the ball."

Visa woes keep Diaz in limbo

"This kid might miss the year," Rantz said. "It's terrible."

Diaz is not getting paid, by the way. In fact, he was supposed to bring a signed contract with him when he was expected to report in February.

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