Why the Brewers, Not Royals, Have a Tortoise Mascot Named After Bobby Witt Jr.

Welcome to the big leagues, Bobby Jr.

Meet Bobby Jr., the Brewers’ new mascot roaming around the clubhouse. | Brewers TV

If any team in the big leagues would have a team mascot named after superstar Bobby Witt Jr., it’d have to be the Royals.

Right? Wrong.

“Bobby Jr.” a 1-year-old sulcata tortoise, made his big league debut in the Brewers’ clubhouse Friday and is staying with the team at least through their weekend series against the Royals at Kauffman Stadium, and hopefully longer.

Like most jokes around the Brewers’ clubhouse these days, it all started with back-to-back National League Manager of the Year Pat Murphy.

How ‘Bobby Jr.’ became the Brewers’ unofficial mascot

Back in August, during an Apple TV broadcast of a game between the Brewers and Nationals, Murphy was being interviewed by reporter Tricia Whitaker when he admitted that sometimes he pulls out a pancake out of the back pocket of his baseball pants and eats it during games.

He then proceeded to pull out a pocket pancake and shared it with Whitaker.

On Friday, the Brewers were scheduled to be back on Apple TV, meaning Murphy would interview again with Whitaker. Murphy racked his brain for what he could pull out of his pocket that wasn’t a pancake. So, of course, he landed on a tortoise.

According to Brewers TV reporter Sophia Minnaert, Murphy paid Kansas City’s visiting clubhouse attendant Barrett Paulson $500 to visit John’s Exotic Pet Store, located about two miles away from Kauffman Stadium, to purchase “Bobby Jr.,” a tortoise named after Royals superstar shortstop Bobby Witt Jr.

“This is Bobby Jr., in honor of my friend Bobby Witt and his son, Bobby Jr.,” Murphy explained during a pregame interview with Whitaker. “I didn’t want to pull out pancakes, so here we are. Now we got pocket turtles.”

Welp…….The Brewers now have a pet turtle.

A pocket turtle. 🐢

Backstory:

I caused Pat Murphy chaos with pocket pancakes…

So this time during our interview, Murph handed me a……live turtle and said, “Good luck getting it through TSA.”

The turtle, will be staying with the… pic.twitter.com/npS9GbrfU4

— Tricia Whitaker (@TriciaWhitaker) April 4, 2026

To Whitaker’s horror, she realized that Bobby Jr. isn’t just a cute little painted turtle who will be happy in a small tank. Sulcata tortoises like Bobby Jr. grow to surpass 100 pounds in weight and can live up to 70 years.

So while Whitaker flew out of Kansas City on Friday night, Bobby Jr. stayed with the Brewers as their unofficial mascot. The tortoise joined the rain delay festivities in the clubhouse Friday night and was served a delicious meal of fresh vegetables.

Bobby Jr. is fitting in just fine 🐢 https://t.co/5nlnr7bHyj pic.twitter.com/SJXJd9AxMd

— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) April 4, 2026

Bobby Jr. was back in the locker room for Saturday’s doubleheader and even went for a pregame stroll with Brewers closer Trevor Megill.

Nothing like pregame walk with a tortoise. | Brandon Lockridge / IG

“It was suggested by one player that they get to keep the ‘rally turtle’ if they win today,” Whitaker posted to social media on Saturday. “If they lose, I am hoping, consideration will be given to send me the tortoise.”

Murphy did say he aims to find Bobby Jr. a permanent home soon and doesn’t anticipate the tortoise traveling with the club all summer.

As for the name, Bobby Jr.? Murphy, as a longtime friend of Bobby Witt Sr., decided on that as an ironic jab at Witt Jr., one of the fastest players in the big leagues.

"I respect that guy over there so much,” Murphy said of Witt.

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