The Resurgence of Joey Ortiz

When the Brewers needed him most, he vanished.

Well, actually, he struggled.

A lot.

Some may argue he never showed up.

In February 2024, the Milwaukee Brewers traded Cy Young winner, and ace of their pitching rotation, Corbin Burnes to the Baltimore Orioles in return for Joey Ortiz, DL Hall, and future considerations.

At the time, it felt like the O’s fleeced the Brewers, and for the large part they did. It was the final year of Burnes rookie contract, and it was also the final year he was 100% healthy. Burnes went on and was nominated for his fourth career all-star game appearance, and led the O’s rotation with a 3.39 ERA, as they went on to win 91 games and a runner up finish in the American League East.

Fans were no doubt left unsatisfied about the return for Burnes. Yes, it was for one season, but for as high caliber of a player Burnes was at the time, it felt like something that should’ve yielded more of a return. At the time, the O’s had infielder Coby Mayo, Jordan Westburg, Jackson Holliday, and Gunnar Henderson listed in their top 25 prospect list. Understandably, the O’s didn’t want to part ways with any of what would be their core for years to come, but for Brewers fans, getting one of those infielders would’ve felt justfied for a man who finished in the top 10 in Cy Young Award voting for the previous five years.

As Ortiz joined the Brewers, he had 15 Major League Baseball games under his belt, which had given him 33 at-bats, where he produced seven hits, one double, and four RBIs. But, in his first three months with the Crew, he was off to a blazing hot start as he batted .281, and it looked like the Brewers found their staple at the hot corner.

Then the drop off happened.

Ortiz got hurt, so he missed the first half of July and never got back to the first half version of himself, as he batted .200. He didn’t have much power in his bat while he was hot, but he certainly didn’t after his injury.

That was his first season.

Last year, which, believe it or not, was the second full season of Ortiz. The one thing he was consistent at, was staying healthy and consistently being in the lineup despite not producing. He also was one of the better defenders in the infield.

The first two months of the season were forgettable to say the least as he batted below .200 for the most of that time. Then June hit and it felt like he was starting to find his stride, until he couldn’t carry it over into July. Then it happened again in August, as statisically he was one of the better hitters during the month until an injury sidelined him for the final week of the month. He once again, couldn’t quite get back to where he was at.

Possibly one of the most frustrating aspects of Ortiz’s game, was the scenario he gound himself in time and time again, and that was hitting with bases loaded. Ortiz set a franchise record for single-season plate appearances in that specific scenario. He even led the National League with 31 total plate appearances. Although finding yourself in that specific situation is luck, he had none of that when it came to hitting in those situations. Ortiz got a hit just five times with one double, and one grand slam, driving in a total of 16 RBIs.

Fast forward to 2026, and Ortiz found himself with the Brewers first bases loaded opportunity of the season, this time it looked a little different as he singled to drive in the team’s first run of the season.

Entering this year, it felt like the leesh was going to be quite short for Ortiz. He’s reliable on defense, and is speedy, but that has been the extent of his production. With fans already looking ahead to the deadline, hoping they could find their next Willy Adames, Ortiz made the move to third base and everything changed.

Throughout April and May, Ortiz was the starting shortstop with Luis Rengifo and David Hamilton splitting the time at third base. Ortiz when batting, was one of the worst shortstops in the league, hitting .165 with one home run and 11-RBIs.

Once the calendar flipped to June, change was in the air for the left side of the infield. June 15 hit, and that mean’t any free agents signed over the offseason were now eligible to either be traded or released. Rengifo was then designated for assignment, making way for a young, fresh face, in Cooper Pratt. Once Pratt arrived, that left Ortiz and Hamilton to man third base, and Ortiz took over as that man quickly.

Maybe it was the change to third base for comfortability, or the handful of hairstyle changes we saw, but since June 15, Ortiz has batted .297 with 35 hits, five home runs, 19 RBIs, and 14 runs scored in 41 games played. While the team fared quite well without the production of Ortiz at the plate through the first half of the season, the team is staying afloat through their roughest stretch of the season because of Ortiz.

Oddly enough, of all teams for anyone to struggle against, you’d think it be the Los Angeles Dodgers, but not for Ortiz. Last night, Ortiz hit a two-run home run which put the Brewers on top against the Dodgers. Through the first three games of the series, Ortiz has four hits, one double, on home run, and four RBIs. Quietly becoming “The Dodger Whisperer.”

SIDE NOTE: For those who grind out Diamond Dynasty of MLB The Show 26, Ortiz’s efforts in the month of July earned him a July Player of the Month card, becoming one of the highest rated cards for the Brewers.

While it appeared half of the fanbase wanted Ortiz gone back in June, it has gotten to a point where the Brewers can’t afford a game without him in the lineup. With the lineup aiming to be fully healthy by the end of the month, and the bats looking like they’re turning a corner, Ortiz’s production mixed with defensive stability is quickly turning this lineup into a force to be reckoned with come October.