After providing a glimpse of his elite potential upon coming to the Milwaukee Brewers in 2024, infielder Joey Ortiz did not have the best 2025 campaign. 

Yet, there is still hope that he will become the type of consistent talent Milwaukee can benefit from. 

“Acquired by Milwaukee along with left-hander DL Hall in the Feb. 1, 2024, trade that sent Corbin Burnes to Baltimore, Ortiz thrived in his first few months with the Brewers,” MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy and Jared Greenspan wrote. “He finished April 2024 with a .385 on-base percentage. He followed that by winning the NL Rookie of the Month Award in May, becoming only the second Brewers player in the last 15 seasons so honored.” 

“By the All-Star break, Ortiz’s OPS still stood north of .800, all while covering the Brewers at third base because veteran Willy Adames was entrenched at shortstop. One especially enthusiastic teammate went so far as to call Ortiz “a generational player.” 

However, the following season saw regression from Ortiz. 

“But since then, he’s mostly been a struggling player -- at least at the plate. Since the ‘24 All-Star break, Ortiz’s .609 OPS ranks 228th of MLB’s 232 hitters with at least 500 plate appearances in that span. His 71 wRC+ -- a measure of offensive performance that accounts for ballpark factors -- ranks 224th.”  

“Last season, he tied for the highest popout percentage in the league, leading plainspoken Brewers manager Pat Murphy to quip at one point that Ortiz was trying to break the Major League record for foul outs to the first baseman.” 

Through 149 games in 2025, Ortiz logged a .230 batting average and a .593 OPS. He had nearly 30 more strikeouts (74) than RBIs (45). Perhaps the only upside is that Ortiz lowered his strikeout total from 103 in 2024 to 74 in 2025 while appearing in seven more games and logging 30 more at-bats. 

According to McCalvy and Greenspan, the Brewers still recognize the upside Ortiz possesses, and there is nothing indicating they plan on making a change. 

“I mean, look, he’s still a young player with a ton of tools and a ton of ability and he’s shown flashes of being a really good offensive player,” president of baseball operations Matt Arnold said during the Winter Meetings.  

“Now it’s just about finding more consistency. I mean, you watch this guy in his early work and he’s as clean as anybody. It’s just a really good skillset, with power and the ability to go to all fields. That’s in there for this guy.” 

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