Joey Ortiz’s Absurd Surge: How the Brewers Infielder Fixed His Season

There was a point early on this season in which fans were calling on the Milwaukee Brewers to make a change in the infield.

Cooper Pratt landed a long-term contract extension. So, he clearly looked like the long-term solution at shortstop. Milwaukee acquired Jett Williams from the New York Mets this past offseason and looked like an option to help at third base.

Plus, at the same time, Joey Ortiz was struggling to find his footing offensively. The defense has been there the entire time. Right now, Ortiz is 10th in Major League Baseball with 12 outs above average. That's good for the 98th percentile in baseball. But the offense wasn't there. On June 28, Ortiz was batting .200 with one homer and 15 RBIs. The writing was seemingly on the wall. With Pratt and Williams in the minors, it seemed like only a matter of time before he would lose his spot.

Joey Ortiz's Insane Turnaround

Aug 19, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Brewers shortstop Joey Ortiz (3) rounds the bases after hitting a home run agains the Seattle Mariners in the third inning at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Michael McLoone-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

When Pratt did get the call to the majors, Ortiz shifted from shortstop to third base. That also happens to be right around the time that his bat took off. Since June 29, Ortiz has completely transformed his season. Over the last 47 games, Ortiz has slashed .319/.363/.556 with a .919 OPS, seven home runs, 25 RBIs, four stolen bases, seven doubles, three triples, and 21 runs scored.

Joey O since June 29:

🔵.319 AVG
🔵 .363 OBP
🔵 .556 SLG
💣 7 HR pic.twitter.com/jK6Vn3yxnD
— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) September 2, 2026

Ortiz has been so good that he increased his season batting average by 56 points since June 29 (.200 to .256). On June 28, Ortiz's OPS was .530. Now, it's .710. That's an absurd 180-point swing in just 47 games played.

Ortiz is up to 1.8 wins above replacement on the season in 115 games played. In comparison, he finished the 2025 season with just 0.2 wins above replacement. It's not a perfect science, but it does go to show how much things have changed over the last few months. Milwaukee needed a boost and Ortiz has provided it.

Beyond the 2026 season, it's going to be interesting to see how Milwaukee handles the infield. Andrew Fischer has hit 43 homers down in the minors this season. The Brewers are going to have to give him a long look. Williams is injured right now, but he's someone to watch as well.

But what Ortiz has been able to do over the last few months has shown that he belongs and also deserves a shot at a legit role beyond this season. Early on this season, it seemed like he was going to be replaced. He has certainly turned it around, though.

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