ST. LOUIS — Joey Ortiz is struggling. You know it. He knows it. The Milwaukee Brewers know it.
But let’s get the numbers out on the table anyway.
Through 29 games this season, Ortiz is batting .184 with a .259 on-base percentage and no extra-base hits for a .184 slugging percentage. These offensive doldrums are long-lasting, too, with Ortiz slashing .218/.275/.313 since July 1, 2024, giving him the worst on-base plus slugging (.588) among qualified hitters in that time.
“There’s flashes of his offense being really good, but I’m not here to say that he’s doing well offensively,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said. “No one knows it more than Joey. No one wears it more than Joey. No one works harder than Joey. But that’s part of our game right now: You’ve got to perform.”
These difficulties have presented the Brewers with a quandary: What, exactly, should they do at shortstop?
Do they keep trotting Ortiz out there for his defense despite getting pitcher-level production from him at the plate?
Do they play David Hamilton more — as they have — despite his clear defensive inferiority at shortstop to Ortiz?
Or do they make a move and call up someone from Class AAA Nashville even though those options, Cooper Pratt and Jett Williams, aren’t exactly breaking down the door?
“I don’t think there’s a hard and fast, set plan of how this goes,” Murphy said. “We all know the reality of what’s in our organization and what’s to come. We’re not going to shy away from that. I’ve talked to Joey openly about that. But again, we’re not trying to create more than what’s there.
“Joey gives us the best chance to win today. He’s a tremendous defender. This team has averaged 95 or so wins the last two years when he’s been here. He’s a big part of that. I love the kid. As long as he’s on our roster I’m going to keep going with him as long as the situation calls for it.”
The case for a call-up
As Murphy alluded to, the Brewers, despite being in a drought of shortstop production now, have a deluge of talent at the position coming in the near future. And that’s not a mirage. The team already has extended Pratt. Williams is showing signs of real progress at Nashville.
And, oh yeah, Jesús Made is soon going to be the No. 1 prospect in baseball and could be ready as soon as 2027.
This should give the Brewers even more freedom to make the move of what is best for the team right now – because, unlike a year ago, they aren’t staring down a situation where they have to account for Ortiz as probably still being the top option going into the following season.
There’s an argument for both Williams and Pratt to get their chances, but Pratt, by proxy of being on the 40-man roster already to go with MLB-ready defense at short, would likely be the first choice.
Pratt may not exactly tear the cover off the baseball but is showing some signs of at least being able to hold his own with the stick against big-league pitching.
And, frankly, that might be the bar to clear for a shortstop play for the Brewers.
After a slow start to the season, Pratt is displaying some improvement. His expected batting average since April 15 is .281 to go with a .380 expected slugging percentage – both of which are higher than Williams. He’s still not an impact power hitter, but his swing decisions have improved this season and he’s cut down on his chase while walking more than he’s struck out.
Pratt still has further to go in his development than Williams. A promotion of the 5-foot-6 Williams for the Brewers would be a move similar to promoting Caleb Durbin in late April a year ago, and not just because of the height.
At the time, Milwaukee’s third-base production was somewhere between the cellar and the drain, and it was clear neither Vinny Capra nor Oliver Dunn was the long-term solution. Durbin wasn’t quite big-league ready between his offense and, even more so, his defense at a new position.
But he was the best option, and that’s what mattered.
Why Ortiz remains on the roster for now
The Brewers are not quite sure that’s the case now, though.
Ortiz, for all his difficulties on offense, is still effectively a replacement-level player in terms of total value. Baseball Reference lists him at 0.0 Wins Above Replacement (WAR) while FanGraphs has him at -0.1 WAR.
And he still has his advocates throughout the organization – Murphy included. As Murphy has seen the effects of the extended struggles take a toll on his shortstop, he is now going to bat for him on a human level.
“Your heart pours out for him,” Murphy said. “You pull for him. His teammates pull for him really hard because he means so much to this group. That’s not an easy thing. From an outsiders standpoint, you guys don’t feel that compassion and connection between Joey and the guys.”
But as the Brewers continue to evaluate what’s best for the roster today, things continue to not only not get better for Ortiz at the plate, but get worse.
Ortiz’s plate discipline continues to trend in the wrong direction, with him chasing more often while swinging at pitches in the zone less than even a year ago. He’s been a bit unlucky at the plate, but even then, his expected slugging percentage is still only .270, which ranks in the third percentile among all hitters.
Murphy suggested that part of the problem for Ortiz may be “so much coming at the kid” in terms of input for how to fix what’s going on.
“It’s a reality. We’re not the only team dealing with it,” Murphy said of the messaging to Ortiz. “Joey’s got a decision to make about his offense. There’s so many people coming at him. So many people talking to him. It’s really hard because everything is exposed out there.”
Given that response, might it actually be to Ortiz’s benefit to get some clarity away from all the pressure and work through things in Nashville?
“Maybe,” Murphy said. “I’m not taking anything off the table. We obviously talk about things like that with every player.”
For now, though, Ortiz remains in Milwaukee, where the Brewers will bank on his top-tier glove and keep waiting for signs of progress with the bat.
Their belief in him continues.
“I do believe Joey Ortiz is going to be a really solid major-league player,” Murphy said. “I believe in the kid. I do.”
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: As Joey Ortiz struggles, here’s how Brewers are evaluating his roster spot
Reporting by Curt Hogg, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
