Ortiz went 2-for-3 with a double, a triple and three RBI in Monday's Cactus League game against the Mariners.
Ortiz went just 1-for-10 in the four spring games he appeared in last month, but he has gotten hot since the calendar flipped to March, going 7-for-13 (.538) with four extra-base hits and three steals. The Brewers have not yet decided whether Ortiz or Brice Turang will be the primary shortstop, but expect Ortiz to see regular action one way or another.
Brewers' Joey Ortiz: Getting first crack at shortstop
Rotowire
Ortiz will start at shortstop and bat sixth in Saturday's Cactus League opener against the Reds, Sophia Minnaert of Bally Sports Wisconsin reports.
Manager Pat Murphy said to not look into the positional alignment too much, but it's still notable that the 26-year-old is getting the first exhibition start at shortstop following the offseason departure of Willy Adames. Ortiz provided strong defense at third base last season and had a .239/.329/.398 slash line with 11 homers and 11 steals in 142 regular-season games. Brice Turang is also being considered for a shift shift to shortstop, but it may make more sense to keep him at second base since that's where he won the Platinum Glove Award last year.
Ortiz went 1-for-3 with a walk, three RBI and a stolen base in Saturday's 6-0 win over the Mets.
Ortiz plated the Brewers' first two runs with a single in the fourth inning before drawing a bases-loaded walk in the eighth. The infielder has had a decent September, batting .256 (21-for-82) with 10 extra-base hits, 15 RBI and four steals over 25 contests. He's been the Brewers' main third baseman in 2024, posting a .240/.331/.400 slash line with 11 steals, 11 home runs, 60 RBI and 58 runs scored across 141 games.
