Brewers expected to give continued chances to offense's weakest link of 2025

As the offseason progresses, the Milwaukee Brewers must decide whether to stick with Joey Ortiz at shortstop or pursue an upgrade, with a change prioritizing offensive production over Ortiz’s reliable defensive abilities. Last year, Ortiz slashed just .236/.276/.317 with a 67 wRC+.

The organization could choose an internal solution by moving either Caleb Durbin or Brice Turang over to shortstop, or they could explore external options through trades or free agency. With top shortstop prospects like Cooper Pratt and Jesús Made only a few years away, any outside addition would likely be a veteran player who could be a short-term fix.

Despite the clear interest from some in adding a new shortstop, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel beat reporter Curt Hogg has thrown cold water on that idea. In a recent Q&A over at jsonline.com, Hogg noted that “plenty of members of the front office remain high enough on Joey Ortiz’s various tools on offense that they’re willing to keep rolling him out there given his excellent defense.”

According to team insider Curt Hogg, the Milwaukee Brewers are expected to continue giving opportunities to Joey Ortiz in 2026

It’s remarkable how much can change in a year, and that’s certainly been true for Ortiz throughout his career, and may be a trend the Brewers are counting on continuing. In 2024, while holding down third base for Milwaukee, Ortiz delivered excellent defense, drove in 60 runs, and hit .262 with runners in scoring position. This year, his walk rate fell from 11% to 5%, he hit just .167 in bases-loaded situations, an opportunity that remarkably occurred 30 times, and he finished with only 45 RBIs despite being an everyday player who appeared in 149 games.

Over time, opposing teams realized it was safer to attack Ortiz directly rather than risk someone else in the lineup doing damage, especially with him often batting ninth as the last hitter before the order turned over. This approach showed up in the numbers, with pitchers throwing him 55% strikes last season, a 5% increase when compared to 2024.

Ortiz may have recognized this strategy and tried to counter it by swinging earlier in the count as his first-pitch swing rate jumped 9% from the previous year, reaching 27.5%. Unfortunately, the results didn’t improve, as lazy pop-ups became a recurring theme.

All of this creates an unclear outlook for Ortiz’s role in 2026. While Hogg notes that the coaching staff remains high on his offensive tools, the advanced metrics offer little support for that optimism. It’s possible he could settle into more of a late-game defensive replacement role, but given his history of ups and downs offensively, a fresh start to a new season might be exactly what he needs to rebound once again.