Brewers news: NLDS game times announced, Andrew Vaughn update, latest on Joey Ortiz

Three long days remain before postseason baseball returns to American Family Field. The Milwaukee Brewers will play the winner of the San Diego Padres and Chicago Cubs' Wild Card Series, which began with an emphatic Padres victory in Game 1, in the National League Division Series, which kicks off on Saturday, October 3.

In the meantime, the Brewers are staying sharp with live at-bats, workouts, and simulated games at American Family Field, just as they did a season ago. Milwaukee earned the first-round bye, and therefore this week off between the end of the regular season and the NLDS, last year as well, so they have practice handling the challenges that come with the break between action.

These five days off also serve as an opportunity for players who were dealing with injuries at the end of the season to rest up and recover for what is hopefully a long postseason run. Players like Andrew Vaughn, who was dealing with a bad illness at the end of the season, Joey Ortiz, who endured injuries to both his right knee and his abdomen, and Jake Bauers, who played through shin splints for much of the 2026 season, have the opportunity to get closer to full strength before the NLDS begins. The Brewers offered updates on both Vaughn and Ortiz yesterday, but first, let's go over the possible game times of this weekend's NLDS games, which were announced by MLB on Tuesday night.

MLB announces possible start times for Games 1 and 2 of Brewers' NLDS matchup

MLB playoff game times can undoubtedly be frustrating. Just look at the Wild Card Series; fans of the Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies were asked to show up to Truist Park on a Tuesday at 2:00 p.m. for their team's playoff opener. The Brewers, in large part due to the fact that they play in MLB's smallest TV market, seemingly always get stuck with strange start times.

This year, however, the prospective start times are much more favorable for the Brew Crew. The schedule isn't officially confirmed yet, as it's dependent on who the Brewers match up with in the NLDS, but MLB laid out the possible scenarios last night.

If the Brewers face the Padres in the NLDS, Game 1 will be played on Saturday, October 3, at 7:30 p.m. CT and Game 2 will be played on Sunday, October 4 at 3:00 p.m. CT. If the Brewers face the Cubs in the NLDS, Game 1 will be played on Saturday, October 3, at 3:00 p.m. CT, and Game 2 will be played on Sunday, October 4 at 3:00 p.m. CT. Regardless of who they face in the NLDS, Game 2 will be played at 3:00 p.m. CT on Sunday. MLB has not yet released potential game times for Game 3 of the NLDS.

Andrew Vaughn a "full go" after enduring bad illness during final week of regular season

First baseman Andrew Vaughn played his final regular season game on September 19. In the time since, Vaughn has been battling a bad illness that not only forced him out of the lineup but also landed him on the injured list. Despite Vaughn officially being placed on the IL on September 25, the Brewers made sure to retroactively start his IL assignment to September 22, so that he would be eligible for the NLDS roster.

Thankfully, as of Tuesday morning, Vaughn is considered a "full go." As reported by Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, among others, Vaughn was a full participant in the team's workouts on Tuesday and will be more than ready when the NLDS begins on Saturday. However, Hogg did note that over the course of Vaughn's illness, the Brewers' first baseman lost 10 pounds, so Vaughn may need to regain some strength over the next three days.

After a hamate bone injury caused Vaughn to miss the first month of the season, the 28-year-old right-handed hitter put together an impressive 2026 season. Though his power was zapped by the hamate injury, as is often the case, Vaughn transformed himself into a high batting average, high on-base percentage hitter, as evidenced by his .306/.390/.444 slash line. He's a key part of the Brewers' lineup against southpaws, and it's therefore encouraging to hear the words "full go" four days ahead of Game 1 of the NLDS.

Brewers to "keep an eye on" Joey Ortiz has he works through late-season injuries

As seen in the report from Hogg above, Joey Ortiz, who is dealing with some bruising in his knee and soreness in his abdomen, is not yet a "full go" like Vaughn. Other reports indicated that Ortiz was limited in yesterday's workouts, as he continues to recover from his pair of late-season injuries.

That said, Ortiz himself is not expecting to be limited in the NLDS. On Sunday, after undergoing imaging on both his knee and abdomen, neither of which revealed anything significant, Ortiz told Hogg that he was ready to play, and that was three days ago. It would therefore be shocking not to see Ortiz in the lineup when the Brewers open their postseason run on Sunday.

After a slow start to the season, Ortiz was not only one of the best hitters on the Brewers during the second half of the campaign, he was one of the best hitters in the National League. Ortiz's .883 OPS from July 1 through the end of the season ranked 9th among NL hitters with at least 200 plate appearances during the stretch. His second half turnaround was truly remarkable, and the Brewers will need him to be that same player in October if they want to reach their ultimate goal.

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