Brewers' utility infielder finding success in 2025-26 Venezuelan Winter League

When examining the Milwaukee Brewers' roster this winter, as they look to build upon their 2025 NLCS appearance, the position that sticks out as one the front office could stand to upgrade is shortstop. The situation, however, is complicated.

First, incumbent Joey Ortiz, while he had one of the worst offensive seasons in MLB last year, is still an incredible defender, and just one year removed from a rookie campaign during which he posted a .726 OPS that suggested he was better than a league-average hitter. Unable to replicate his pull-air power or his knack for drawing free passes during his sophomore season in 2025, Ortiz's offensive numbers tanked, finishing the season with a shocking .593 OPS that was the worst among all qualified hitters in 2025. However, the Brewers appear to be dedicated to giving Ortiz another opportunity to prove himself in 2026, as reported by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Curt Hogg in a "Q&A" over at jsonline.com earlier this month, expecting a bounce-back season from their young infielder.

Another complication to the Brewers potentially upgrading at the shortstop position is the presence of three top shortstop prospects in Milwaukee's farm system, the first of which is likely to arrive in MLB in 2027, or potentially even at the end of the 2026 season. Jesús Made, Cooper Pratt, and Luis Peña all find themselves in MLB Pipeline's list of the Top 100 prospects in all of baseball, and Pratt is likely to start the 2026 season in Triple-A, while the other two could begin the year with the Double-A Biloxi Shuckers, though in Pratt and Peña's cases, those assignments would be slightly aggressive. Regardless, the Brewers don't want to block any of their talented shortstop prospects by bringing in a free agent on a multi-year deal to replace Ortiz. After, taking multi-year options out of the mix, there aren't a ton of free agents who offer a clear upgrade over Ortiz.

Speaking of free agents, the prices that shortstops are commanding in a thin year at the position are well out of the Brewers' price range. Ha-Seong Kim, who just signed a one-year deal with the Atlanta Braves, would have been perfect both in terms of him being a clear upgrade over Ortiz and his willingness to accept a short-term deal, but his $20 million salary in 2026 is well north of what the Brewers would be willing to pay for one year of his services.

Seemingly without an ability to bring in a clear replacement for Ortiz this winter, unless a surprising trade is executed by Matt Arnold and company, an alternative strategy would be to create competition at the shortstop position, to not only avoid complacency from the team's incumbent, but also a back-up plan if 2026 looks similar to 2025 for Ortiz at the plate. A strong back-up shortstop or utility infielder could be exactly what the Brewers need to ensure success for their infield group next season. However, based on Andruw Monasterio's performance in this year's Venezuelan Winter League, Milwaukee might already have that player on their roster.

Andruw Monasterio is tearing the cover off the baseball in the 2025-26 Venezuelan Winter League

Winter League performances should absolutely be taken with a grain of salt, but Monasterio, who had a strong end to the 2025 regular season, is on a tear down in his home country of Venezuela this winter. Playing for the Caribes de Anzoategui, Mona is slashing .325/.418/.470 with two homers and six doubles in 21 games played. He's drawn 10 walks and struck out just 16 times while also swiping four bases in his fifth season with the Caribes.

It's unlikely the Brewers were waiting for Monasterio's performance in Venezuela this winter to determine whether or not he is still viable competition for and a strong back-up to Ortiz at the shortstop position next season, but it's encouraging nonetheless that Mona has followed up what turned out to be a strong 2025 season with an impressive performance in the Venezuelan Winter League.

It's still absolutely Ortiz's position to lose -- his defense is that good and there's an expectation that his bat will rebound to some degree in 2026. But when it comes to finding a utility infielder whose presence on the Brewers' roster will push their starting shortstop to be better than he was last season, Monasterio, who is beloved in Milwaukee's clubhouse, could absolutely still be that guy.

It might not be the most exciting way to enter the 2026 season, especially for the conglomerate of Brewers fans who were expecting the team to sign Bo Bichette to a nine-figure deal or mortgage their future for a couple of seasons of CJ Abrams. However, given Milwaukee's payroll situation, the lack of options on the free agent market, and the reasonable expectations for both Monasterio and Ortiz next season, Brewers fans should expect them both to be a part of the team's infield group when the 2026 season arrives next March.