Joey Ortiz officially returns to level of production Brewers fans didn't think was possible

For a season and a half, ranging from 2025 through early July of this year, whenever Joey Ortiz's spot in the Milwaukee Brewers lineup came up, there wasn't much confidence among fans. A year ago, he finished with a 67 wRC+, meaning he was 33 percent less productive than the league average hitter, and had well-documented struggles with the bases loaded. The struggles in those high-profile moments only further worked against Ortiz's favor in the eyes of the fanbase.

For much of 2026, that same narrative of a struggling hitter continued to plague Ortiz. His wRC+ dropped as low as 52 on May 31, which, at the time, would have been the third worst among qualified hitters in the major leagues. However, since that final day in May, Ortiz has completely turned things around. To losing his everyday shortstop job to Cooper Pratt and moving to third base, the position he played in his first season with the Brewers, Ortiz has responded in a big way over the last three months.

Following Ortiz’s two-run home run in Sunday’s series finale against the Cincinnati Reds, his wRC+ climbed to 102. That is a significant milestone for Ortiz as it signifies that he has managed to climb himself out of his early-season hole and officially move to a level of production that quantifies as above league average.

More importantly, this statistic provides further evidence that his turnaround at the plate over the last three-plus months is legitimate and not simply the result of a short-lived hot streak.

Since July, Joey Ortiz has been a force in the Brewers' lineup

Over the past three months, Ortiz has posted a batting average above .300 in each month while continuing to draw walks and capitalize on mistakes from opposing pitchers. The result has been a .331/.380/.565 slash line since the All-Star break. His .945 OPS ranks fifth in that span, trailing only Pete Crow-Armstrong (.960), Rafael Devers (.987), Fernando Tatis Jr. (.996), and Alex Bregman (.999).

During this stretch, Ortiz also has driven in 22 runs, which is half of his RBI total for the season, but perhaps more importantly, he has raised his batting average to .264. Still hitting near the bottom of Pat Murphy’s lineup, Ortiz’s ability to take what opposing pitchers give him and turn the lineup over has helped make the bottom of the Brewers' order more effective.

All that said, it is crazy to think how unlikely Ortiz’s turning his season around seemed a few months ago. After carrying a 52 wRC+ into June, it was difficult to envision him not only getting back to league-average production, but becoming a legitimate force in the Brewers’ lineup.

Yet, Ortiz has completely changed the conversation around his season and doesn't show any signs of slowing down. Having him swinging the bat as well as he has could be a difference maker for Milwaukee in October, something they surely didn't have a season ago.

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