Twins minor-league report: Bartlett has bad timing

Jason Bartlett's broken wrist couldn't have come at a worse time. The Class AAA Rochester shortstop was close to making his major-league debut with the Twins when he suffered the injury last weekend.

With no other middle infielder on the 40-man roster at the time, club officials indicated that Bartlett was a top pick to replace Nick Punto when he was placed on the disabled list because of a right oblique muscle pull.

Bartlett would have been used off the bench, but there would have been a few times where fans could see why the organization is high on him. Bartlett, 24, is batting .339 at Rochester, where Twins General Manager Terry Ryan watched him just before the injury.

"This kid is very athletic," Ryan said. "He's surprisingly strong. He's got skills. This is going to set him back a little."

Bartlett has shown good strike-zone judgment and can steal a few bases. One drawback is that he's made 11 errors.

"Some of the routine plays he's had more difficulty making instead of the phenomenal, exceptional plays," Ryan said. "Sometimes that's just a lot of concentration.

"The games I saw, he made all the plays. He's the type of guy who can make an offensive contribution. He can run. He's got some strength in his bat. He's more than just a singles hitter."

Bartlett could replace Cristian Guzman in next year's lineup. But Guzman is in the middle of a revival at the plate, perhaps enough to encourage the club to pick up the option on his contract.

More from Rochester

• Third baseman Terry Tiffee has returned to action after recovering from a sore lower back.

• Readers have expressed interest in three righthanders, Dave Gassner, Peter Munro and Matt Guerrier. All have shown the ability to throw strikes, especially Guerrier, who has given up three walks and has 34 strikeouts in 44 innings.

"The one thing they do is give you a chance to win," Ryan said.

Elsewhere

• In seven games, Class A Quad City outfielder Denard Span raised his average from .194 to .250.