Ortiz went 3-for-4 with a three-run homer and a double in Friday's loss to Houston.
Ortiz knocked a double in the third inning before giving Milwaukee a short-lived lead with his three-run shot in the fourth. He was later caught stealing after a single during his otherwise terrific performance. He's gone 8-for-14 (.571) with two homers and three doubles over his last four games, and four of his five long balls this season have come in the last nine games. Ortiz owns an impressive .296/.397/.561 slash line with 14 extra-base hits, a 16:20 BB:K and 15 RBI through 116 plate appearances.
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Brewers' Joey Ortiz: Homers Wednesday
Rotowire
Ortiz went 2-for-2 with a solo homer, two walks and an additional run scored in Wednesday's 10-2 win over the Pirates.
Ortiz is now 5-for-10 with three extra-base hits and a .615 OBP over his last three games while securing the everyday third-base job in Milwaukee. Overall, the 25-year-old Ortiz is slashing .277/.384/.511 with four homers, 12 RBI, 13 runs scored and a stolen base through 37 games this season.
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Brewers' Joey Ortiz: Launches third home run
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Ortiz went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Thursday's 7-1 win over the Cardinals.
Ortiz has now homered in consecutive games and has registered an extra-base hit in five of his last eight contests. He continues to crush right-handed pitching this season, slashing .327/.424/.618 in that split with three home runs, eight runs scored and 10 RBI in 66 plate appearances. The 25-year-old will continue to jockey with Oliver Dunn for playing time at the hot corner, but Ortiz's recent hot streak could give him the upper hand.
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Brewers' Joey Ortiz: Heading back to bench Wednesday
Rotowire
Ortiz is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Royals.
After sitting in four straight games to close out this past weekend, Ortiz picked up starts at second base and third base in the Brewers' first two contests in Kansas City, going 1-for-5 with a solo home run and a walk between those games. The 25-year-old still looks to be the Brewers' preferred option at the hot corner, though he'll give way to Oliver Dunn on Wednesday.
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Brewers' Joey Ortiz: Sits in fourth straight
Rotowire
Ortiz is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Cubs.
Ortiz finds himself on the bench for the fourth game in a row, a surprising development considering that he's maintaining an excellent .388 on-base percentage and .827 OPS through 80 plate appearances on the season. According to Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Ortiz's benching isn't disciplinary in nature or due to any dissatisfaction of his performance. Instead, manager Pat Murphy expressed a desire to take a longer look at rookie Oliver Dunn, who hadn't gotten to play much over the past few weeks once Ortiz emerged as the superior option at third base. Dunn will start his fourth straight game Sunday, and Murphy said the Brewers are using the run of extended action to evaluate whether it's worthwhile to keep Dunn in a utility role with the big club or to have him play more frequently in the minors.
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Brewers' Joey Ortiz: Takes seat Friday
Rotowire
Ortiz is out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Cubs.
It's the second straight game on the bench for Ortiz after making five consecutive starts, and he went 5-for-15 with five walks, three doubles, a homer and five RBI during that stretch. Oliver Dunn will receive another start at the hot corner Friday in Chicago.
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Brewers' Joey Ortiz: Heads to bench Wednesday
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Ortiz is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Rays.
Ortiz looks to be getting some routine maintenance for the day game after a night game, with Oliver Dunn spelling him at third base. The rookie had started at third base or second base in each of the past five games, reaching base at a .476 clip while recording four extra-base hits (one home run, three doubles) and a stolen base during that stretch.
Ortiz went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer and four RBI during Friday's win over the Yankees.
Ortiz was able to finally check off his first MLB home run with a two-run shot off Luis Gil in the second inning, and he delivered an RBI single in the 11th inning to give the Brewers the win in walk-off fashion. The 25-year-old infielder has been struggling at the plate recently, going just 1-for-15 across his last five games prior to Friday's contest, though his above-average defense at third base should allow him to continue starting on a consistent basis.
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Brewers' Joey Ortiz: Not in Thursday's lineup
Rotowire
Ortiz is out of the lineup for Thursday's game in Pittsburgh.
He started the last four games at third base but will give way to Oliver Dunn for Thursday's tilt. Ortiz has been struggling at the plate lately, going 1-for-13 across his last seven contests, though he does have a 3:3 K:BB over that span.
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Brewers' Joey Ortiz: Not in Friday's lineup
Rotowire
Ortiz is out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Cardinals.
It's the second straight game on the bench for Ortiz, who started the previous three contests. Oliver Dunn will step in at third base for Milwaukee as the pair continue to split playing time at the hot corner.
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Brewers' Joey Ortiz: Hits bench Wednesday
Rotowire
Ortiz is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Padres.
Ortiz had started at third base in each of the past three games while going 2-for-7 with a walk and a run scored, but he'll give way to Oliver Dunn for the series finale. The rookie has reached base at a .425 clip so far this season and should continue to remain ahead of Dunn on the depth chart with Dunn's production at the plate having slowed after a hot start to the season.
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Brewers' Joey Ortiz: Playing time on upswing
Rotowire
Ortiz will start at third base and bat seventh in Sunday's game against the Orioles.
Ortiz will pick up his third start in four games at third base, with the lefty-hitting Oliver Dunn having drawn just one start during that span. Notably, the Brewers have faced four right-handed pitchers over that stretch, so the righty-hitting Ortiz could be moving into a full-time role after he initially looked to be a short-side platoon player for Milwaukee. Ortiz is slashing .333/.438/.444 through his first 32 plate appearances with the Brewers this season.
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Brewers' Joey Ortiz: Sitting again Tuesday
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Ortiz is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Twins.
Ortiz received one start each at second base and third base during the season-opening series versus the Mets, but he finds himself on the bench for the first game against the Twins. Oliver Dunn appears to have the early leg up for playing time as he makes his third straight start, two of which have come at the hot corner.
Ortiz isn't in the Brewers' lineup for Saturday's game against the Mets.
Ortiz started at second base Friday against left-handed starter Jose Quintana, but he will begin Saturday's contest in the dugout with righty Luis Severino on the mound for New York. The left-handed bats of Brice Turang and Oliver Dunn will cover second and third base, respectively.
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Brewers' Joey Ortiz: Getting call at second base
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Ortiz is starting at second base and batting seventh in Friday's opener versus the Mets.
Ortiz is in line to see plenty of action at third base, but he'll be at the keystone for this one as the Brewers get another right-handed bat in the lineup against southpaw Jose Quintana, in this case Andruw Monasterio. The 25-year-old Ortiz was picked up from the Orioles over the offseason in the trade that sent Corbin Burnes to Baltimore.
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Brewers' Joey Ortiz: More starts with Mitchell out?
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Ortiz could see an uptick in playing time as a result of Garrett Mitchell's (hand) injury, Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.
With Mitchell on the shelf for a while with a fractured hand, Brewers manager Pat Murphy mentioned Monday that Sal Frelick could go back to being a regular outfielder for a while. That would open up more playing time at third base, where Ortiz would seem to be the most likely to benefit. Andruw Monasterio is also a candidate for more at-bats at third if Frelick shifts to the outfield.
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Brewers' Joey Ortiz: Included on Opening Day roster
Rotowire
Ortiz has been informed that he's made the Brewers' Opening Day roster, Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.
It was expected but is nonetheless a thrill for Ortiz, who will be on a major-league Opening Day roster for the first time. The 25-year-old might not have a set starting position heading into the season but should play quite a bit all over the infield, with much of those starts likely to come at third base.
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Brewers' Joey Ortiz: Good shot to make big club
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Ortiz has a "good shot" to make the Opening Day roster, according to manager Pat Murphy, Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.
Ortiz is known for his excellent infield defense, but he's no slouch at the plate either. He is slashing .261/.393/.522 with one home run and one steal in 28 Cactus League plate appearances. If the Brewers trade Willy Adames during the season, Ortiz would likely take over as the everyday shortstop, but in the meantime, he could be an everyday option at third base while sometimes shifting to second base when the Brewers face a lefty.
