Brewers Have Joey Ortiz Problem Early in 2026

The Milwaukee Brewers shortstop has had a difficult start to the 2026 season offensively, to say the least.

Apr 18, 2026; Miami, Florida, USA; Milwaukee Brewers shortstop Joey Ortiz (3) celebrates after scoring against the Miami Marlins during the sixth inning at loanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

The Milwaukee Brewers have been able to stay afloat so far this season despite a plethora of injuries.

Milwaukee's strength is the sum of its parts. Sure, there are All-Star-level guys, like Brice Turang or Jacob Misiorowski, among others. But the Brewers find success year in and year out because of the fact that the club plays the game the right way and gets contributions from all over the place. Look at the 2026 team, for example. The Brewers are 18-15 while playing in a juggernaut division that has every team at least three games above .500, despite missing Jackson Chourio, Christian Yelich, Andrew Vaughn, Quinn Priester and most recently, Brandon Woodruff.

With Milwaukee, it's always the next man up. While this is the case, the Brewers are inching towards potentially needing to make a change at shortstop. Joey Ortiz is the Brewers' starting shortstop and has been great defensively. He is in the 92nd percentile in outs above average, 84th percentile in sprint speed, and the 77th percentile in fielding run value. But he hasn't been able to get anything going offensively in 2026.

The Brewers May Need To Make A Change Soon

May 2, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Milwaukee Brewers shortstop Joey Ortiz (3) hits a RBI sacrifice against the Washington Nationals during the eighth inning at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-Imagn Images | Brad Mills-Imagn Images

Ortiz currently is in the third percentile in xwOBA, seventh percentile in expected batting average, first percentile in expected slugging percentage and ninth percentile in average exit velocity. The offense hasn't been there and the advanced metrics don't paint the picture of someone just dealing with bad luck. Overall, he has played in 28 games and is slashing .181/.259/.181 with zero homers, eight RBIs, four stolen bases, 11 runs scored. Overall, Ortiz hasn't recorded an extra-base hit yet this season in general.

In comparison, Brewers No. 4 prospect Cooper Pratt, who recently inked an eight-year, $50.75 million extension, is red-hot down in Triple-A Nashville just waiting for an opportunity to make the jump to the majors.

For the Brewers, it's always been about the next man up. The club has shown this over and over again in 2026 because of the injuries that have impacted the organization. Arguably, the same idea should be applied to shortstop at some point.

Again, Ortiz has been great defensively. But the offense just hasn't been there. With Chourio, Vaughn and Yelich all out, the club can't necessarily afford a spot in the lineup to be struggling this much. It may be time for the Brewers to give Pratt a shot in the majors and let Ortiz reset.