The Brewers got the kind of injury update every playoff team wants to hear: Joey Ortiz says he’s ready.
With Milwaukee still a few days away from opening a five-game National League Division Series on Oct. 3 against either the San Diego Padres or the Chicago Cubs, Ortiz sounded confident after his MRI. Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel shared this on X: "Joey Ortiz on his status after yesterday’s MRI: 'I’ll be ready to go. I’m ready to play,'"
Ortiz hasn’t played since Sep. 25, and he’s been dealing with abdominal swelling and a bruised knee. Brewers manager Pat Murphy said the MRI came back "all good," according to MLB.com's Adam McCalvy on X.
McCalvy also wrote, "Joey Ortiz’s MRI results were 'all good,' per Pat Murphy. Some abdominal swelling they will monitor, and a bruised knee.
He won’t play tomorrow but the outlook is good for the postseason,"
That’s a welcome development for Milwaukee, especially given how much Ortiz changed his season after a rough first half. Early in the year, his bat wasn’t giving the Brewers much, and before Cooper Pratt was promoted, it looked like the rookie might be the one to take over. With Jett Williams down in the minors and able to handle third base, Ortiz’s path looked shaky.
Instead, Ortiz found his footing once he moved to third. Pratt debuted on June 16, and from June 17 on, Ortiz hit .310/.348/.491 with an .840 OPS, along with eight home runs, 33 RBIs, nine doubles and four triples in 74 games. Before that stretch, he was sitting at .207/.299/.262 over 60 games.
Now Milwaukee needs that version of Ortiz in October - the one who can handle third base and contribute at the plate. And with a few extra days to get right after earning the No. 1 seed and finishing ahead of every other team in the 2026 regular season, the Brewers appear to be in good shape heading into the postseason.
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