Brewers Skipper Sends Joey Ortiz Message Entering Make-Or-Break Season

The superior glovesman has to step up with the bat...

May 27, 2024; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Brewers third baseman Joey Ortiz (3) reacts after being called out on strikes in the second inning against the Chicago Cubs at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images | Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

If the Milwaukee Brewers are going to break through and finally win a title in 2026, they'll have to do it with largely the same group that just came up short.

Though the Brewers led the majors with 97 wins during the regular season, they were far from a perfect team. It's hard to match up to the offensive firepower of a big-market powerhouse like the Los Angeles Dodgers, but to do so, Milwaukee needs its young players to contribute however possible.

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Shortstop Joey Ortiz failed on that front this year, as he was one of the worst qualified hitters in the sport. However, the Brewers are prepared to give the 27-year-old another crack going forward.

Murphy stands behind Ortiz

Oct 6, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Brewers shortstop Joey Ortiz (3) warms up before the game against the Chicago Cubs during game two of the NLDS round for the 2025 MLB playoffs at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images | Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

In comments published on Monday, Brewers manager Pat Murphy stood behind Ortiz, who posted a .593 OPS this season, noting that his defense has been incredible and expressing confidence in his offense to come back around.

“That's not something to just scoff at, like, ‘Oh, we need more offensive production.’ Guess what? He's going to give it to us,” Murphy said, per Adam McCalvy and Jared Greenspan. “He's going to give us more. There's no question. The kid is very capable. He's going to be a really good offensive player.

“Obviously his confidence is a little bit shaken, and people talk about it a lot. So that's affecting him. But Joey is going to be way better. And he's a great defender. We can only hope that he can defend like that again.”

Ortiz was excellent at the plate in his first half-season with the Brewers after coming over in the Corbin Burnes trade with the Baltimore Orioles. His struggles began at the All-Star break last year and deepened in 2025, but the Brewers have seen that he can play a role in a successful offense when he's going right.

This year's shortstop market wasn't deep, and the Brewers weren't going to drop $20 million per year on someone like Ha-Seong Kim. But if Ortiz puts up another season like the one he just had, he has to know the Brewers will look at other options, so it's go time.

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