Brewers’ Joey Ortiz draws glowing 2026 outlook

Milwaukee Brewers infielder Joey Ortiz is a man to watch in 2026. 

Sure, he had a letdown performance in his second season with the Brew Crew in the 2025 campaign after turning heads with solid play in 2024, but there remains a big ceiling for the 27-year-old Ortiz, who was a fourth-round pick by the Baltimore Orioles in the 2019 MLB Amateur Draft.

For Adam McCalvy of MLB.com, Ortiz is a prime candidate for a big bounce-back season in 2026.

Here’s what McCalvy said of Ortiz:

The Ortiz era began so well for the Brewers, who picked him up from the Orioles in the Corbin Burnes trade in February 2024. Ortiz thrived in his first few months with Milwaukee, winning the NL Rookie of the Month Award in May 2024 and finishing the first half with an OPS north of .800. One especially enthusiastic teammate went so far as to call Ortiz “a generational player.” 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 during that span. The Brewers, however, still see offensive upside. And Ortiz’s elite defense will keep him in the lineup. 

Brewers’ Ortiz could have a resurgence in 2026

Ortiz hit .239/.329/.398 with 11 home runs and 60 RBIs to go with a 2.7 bWAR and a 102 OPS+ in 142 games in 2024. Those numbers dropped to  .230/.276/.317 with seven home runs and 45 RBIs in 149 games.

He also came with just a 0.3 bWAR and 66 OPS+. That’s a sharp drop in form for Ortiz, but such regression could also mean a much more productive year in 2026 for Ortiz, who will not be eligible for arbitration until after the next season.