The Brewers sent third baseman Joey Ortiz for an MRI this afternoon, according to MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy. Manager Pat Murphy told reporters, including Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, that the imaging came back “all good” for Ortiz. He has some abdominal swelling, while his right‑knee bruise isn’t viewed as serious. McCalvy adds that Ortiz won’t play in tomorrow’s regular season finale, but he should be in good shape for the Division Series, which begins on Saturday, October 3rd. Milwaukee has the best record in the National League and thus a first-round bye in the playoffs. Will his health hold up for the postseason?
After exiting Friday’s game in the eighth inning with the right‑knee bruise, Ortiz also wrestled with oblique and groin issues, Murphy explained. David Hamilton slid in from shortstop to third when Ortiz left. He started at third in today’s 3‑2 win over the Cardinals, finishing 1‑for‑3 with a double and a strikeout.
At 28, Ortiz has logged a .270/.328/.402 line in 415 plate appearances, ranking about 3% above league average by wRC+. That marks a huge jump from last year’s 67 wRC+, and his defense backs it up. He began the season at shortstop before shifting to the hot corner after Cooper Pratt moved to short in mid‑June. Statcast credits him with +8 Outs Above Average in nearly 600 innings at short and +9 OAA in under 400 innings at third, the latter tying him with the Cubs’ Alex Bregman for the second‑best mark among third basemen, despite Bregman’s far greater innings total.
While he isn’t a marquee name, Ortiz quietly fuels Milwaukee’s dominant regular season. A right‑handed hitter, he posted a 112 wRC+ against same‑handed pitchers versus an 85 wRC+ in 150 PA versus lefties. By contrast, left‑handed Hamilton lags 16% below average by wRC+ and 30% below against lefties. Defensively, Hamilton posts +7 DRS but a –11 OAA across third, short and second. For my money, Ortiz is the unsung engine of the Brewers’ success.
During the five‑day layoff, the club will watch his abdominal swelling closely. If he misses time in the playoffs, Milwaukee will have to dip into thin third‑base depth. Hamilton is the only backup infielder on the active roster and would be a sizable downgrade at the plate. Andrew Vaughn boasts a 133 wRC+ and should return from the IL by Oct 3, though he’s seen just 14 games at third this year. That’s the entire infield pool on the 40‑man roster. Jonathan Ornelas remains in the minors on a split contract and has yet to record a hit in his limited big‑league chances.