Milwaukee Brewers: Luis Ortiz activated from DL

Milwaukee Brewers prospect Luis Ortiz hit the disabled list about a month ago due to a hamstring injury. Reportedly, he has been activated.

News of Luis Ortiz going on the DL came out on April 28th, and at the time was described as hamstring tightness. But, after some time out of action, he is healthy and ready to go for Biloxi. Ortiz is the Milwaukee Brewers number four prospect according to MLB Pipeline.

He was having a very good season before the injury, which is good to see after some struggles in the last season. However, injuries have continued to be an issue for the young righty. This year is not proving much different.

Pre-Injury Ortiz

He had an ERA over four 2017, but this season was starting off a lot better. Through his first four appearances, Ortiz was boasting a 2.11 ERA with 22 strikeouts and only seven walks. Two of those four games were in relief, but he has not thrown less than four innings in any outing.

The one thing that has consistently hurt Ortiz is home runs. He gave up 12 last season, and so far this year he is averaging almost one home run an outing. With those three homeruns allowed, and five earned runs allowed, the long ball has hurt him so far.

Things To Watch

With a hamstring injury, it can affect control in the first outing back. Any tweak to it could cause a shift in how the lower half operates upon delivery. Though nearly a month off increases the likelihood that everything will have healed well enough to not bother him.

The main issue will likely be the same issue that has haunted him before, and that is the long ball. Legs play a huge part in the delivery of a pitch, so any injury to them could cause Ortiz to leave the ball up. A ball up in the strike zone is more susceptible to hard contact.

Prospect Track

Despite not having the greatest numbers, Ortiz is a very highly touted prospect within the Milwaukee Brewers organization. That is because the potential is there. This is his third year in Double A, but he seems to have figured something out.

Next: What's up with the 2013 draft class?

Eventually, Ortiz will be a very important part of the Milwaukee Brewers rotation. As he grows, there is no telling how good he can be. But, he has to stay healthy. That has been one of the biggest issues for him thus far. Ortiz is healthy now, let’s just hope he stays that way.