Brewers Manager Makes Joey Ortiz's Playoff Role Crystal Clear

When the Milwaukee Brewers faced off against the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday night, they didn't have third baseman Joey Ortiz in the lineup.

Ortiz is someone who has had a roller coaster of a season, to say the least. He spent the first few months at shortstop and was very good defensively, but really struggled offensively. At the time, it was talked about how Cooper Pratt would be coming at some point and that would be bad news for Ortiz's role. When Pratt did arrive, Ortiz moved to third base. At the time, his bat also came alive.

He has turned his season around and he has become a key cog in this lineup, which at one point was very unexpected. But he wasn't in the lineup on Tuesday against the righty Zack Wheeler. Is that something Brewers fans should expect in the playoffs? Brewers manager Pat Murphy broke down that very question, as shared on X by MLB.com's Adam McCalvy.

"Joey doesn't work as well versus that two-seamer, but if it was the playoffs today, Joey would be in there," Murphy said. "He's been so good for us, and I don't want to waver his confidence at all. But he's got a little abdominal strain thing going on that he's been fighting. I noticed a little bit of it a couple of days ago. We're looking to get him a break. And we need to get [David Hamilton] in there. Same with [Luis Lara]. I would probably start [Sal Frelick] today, but we have to get Lara some at-bats against right-handers, too."

Joey Ortiz Will Help Milwaukee

Sep 13, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Brewers third baseman Joey Ortiz (3) is greeted in the dugout after hitting a two-run home run in the second inning against the Cincinnati Reds at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

This is an intriguing insight into how the club is viewing the playoff lineup already. Earlier in the season, there was more of a committee at third base. Ortiz and Hamilton both got a chunk of time, but Ortiz really has turned around his season to the point that he deserves to be the main guy.

Ortiz has played in 131 games so far this season and is slashing .267/.326/.403 with a .729 OPS, nine home runs, 46 RBIs, nine stolen bases, 14 doubles, four triples and 49 runs scored. Plus, on top of his elite defense, he doesn't strike out. Ortiz has struck out just 78 times in his 131 games played.

When it comes to the Phillies, they are realistically a team Milwaukee could face in the National League Division Series. If the season were to end today, the Phillies would face the Chicago Cubs in the Wild Card round with the winner of the three-game series heading to face Milwaukee.

If the Brewers and the Phillies face off in the playoffs, Milwaukee will very likely see Wheeler again and it sounds like the lineup would look different, especially with Ortiz. Murphy noted that he would probably start Sal Frelick in a playoff game in this scenario as well.

It may have just been a regular season game on a Tuesday. But we did get some valuable insights into how this club is viewing the lineup heading into the postseason.

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