Ortiz (knee) is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Cardinals.
Ortiz is banged up, primarily nursing a knee injury in addition to abdominal and groin issues. He'll sit out Sunday's finale in hopes that he'll be as close to 100 percent as possible for the NLDS. David Hamilton will handle third base for the Brewers on Sunday.
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Brewers' Joey Ortiz: Likely out for regular-season finale
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Brewers manager Pat Murphy said after Saturday's game that the MRI results on Ortiz's knee were "good" overall, Hunter Baumgardt of Fox Sports 920 Milwaukee reports. However, Ortiz likely won't play Sunday against the Cardinals.
While Ortiz avoided a major injury to his knee, he's also been dealing with abdominal and groin issues, including abdominal swelling. It sounds like Milwaukee will exercise caution and hold Ortiz out of the regular-season finale to ensure his availability for the start of the playoffs. David Hamilton figures to make another start at the hot corner in Ortiz's absence.
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Brewers' Joey Ortiz: Absent from lineup
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Ortiz isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against St. Louis.
Ortiz was removed from Friday's game after aggravating a knee injury that he's been dealing with alongside abdominal and groin issues, per Hunter Baumgardt of Fox Sports 920 Milwaukee. With the Brewers already having clinched home-field advantage throughout the playoffs, the team will give the 28-year-old a day off to recover, and he'll also undergo an MRI to determine the extent of his various injuries. David Hamilton will start at third base as a result and bat ninth.
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Brewers' Joey Ortiz: Exits with injury
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Ortiz was removed from Friday's game against the Cardinals with an apparent injury, Jack Stern of BrewerFanatic.com reports.
Ortiz appeared to tweak something while legging out an infield single in the second inning and was eventually taken out of the game in the eighth. The Brewers will likely provide an update on his status after the game once they take a closer look at him, but he could sit out the team's final two regular-season games as a precaution to keep him as healthy as possible for the postseason.
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Brewers' Joey Ortiz: Back in lineup for Brewers
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Ortiz (abdomen) will start at shortstop and bat sixth in Wednesday's game versus the Phillies.
Ortiz has been nursing an abdominal strain which kept him out of the lineup Tuesday, but he's back in there after one day of rest. David Hamilton will cover third base, and Cooper Pratt will retreat to the bench for the Brewers on Wednesday.
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Brewers' Joey Ortiz: Goes deep in loss
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Ortiz went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run in Sunday's 4-3 loss to the Reds.
Ortiz opened the scoring with a two-run blast off Chase Burns in the second inning. The performance continued an excellent second half for the 28-year-old, who's hitting .331 with six home runs, 22 RBI, 20 runs scored and four steals over 42 games since the All-Star break. On the season, he's slashing .264/.324/.401 with nine homers, 44 RBI, 44 runs scored and nine stolen bases across 378 plate appearances.
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Brewers' Joey Ortiz: Blasts eighth home run
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Ortiz went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run in Tuesday's 9-4 win over the Cubs.
Ortiz provided some late insurance by taking Tyler Ferguson deep for a two-run homer in the eighth inning. He's now recorded multiple hits in three of his last six games as his season numbers continue to climb. Ortiz is now batting .256 with a .711 OPS, eight homers, 12 doubles, three triples, 40 RBI, 40 runs and nine steals across 349 plate appearances.
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Brewers' Joey Ortiz: Making return from neck injury
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Ortiz (neck) will start at third base and bat ninth in Wednesday's game against the Padres, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.
After recently losing Cooper Pratt (hamstring) to the injured list, the Brewers look set to avoid another blow to the left side of the infield with Ortiz making his way back into the lineup. Ortiz had missed each of the last three games due to neck tightness, which flared up when he struck out during a plate appearance Saturday. Per MLB.com, Ortiz was able to do some running Monday and then incorporated more baseball activities into his workout Tuesday, with his neck apparently checking out fine afterward. He should be in good shape to hold down a near-everyday role at either third base or shortstop while Pratt is on the shelf.
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Brewers' Joey Ortiz: Still out Tuesday
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Ortiz (back) is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against San Diego.
Ortiz will miss his third consecutive start as he continues to battle an upper-back injury. Brice Turang will slide over to shortstop and lead off, while David Hamilton mans third base and bats eighth for Milwaukee.
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Brewers' Joey Ortiz: Held out again Monday
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Ortiz (back) remains out of the lineup for Monday's game in San Diego.
Ortiz will miss a second straight start with an upper-back injury. He's being considered day-to-day but appears to be trending in the right direction. Ortiz was able to do some running on the field before Monday's game, and he mentioned that he'd be available off the bench if needed, per Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. David Hamilton will again slide over to shortstop, while Andrew Vaughn will grab a start at third base.
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Brewers' Joey Ortiz: Departs game early Saturday
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Ortiz left Saturday's game against Minnesota early due to neck tightness, Hunter Baumgardt of Fox Sports 920 Milwaukee reports.
Ortiz left Saturday's affair after just one at-bat, which resulted in a strikeout, due to neck tightness. The 28-year-old was taken out of the game in the top of the fourth inning and replaced by David Hamilton at third base. If Ortiz has to miss additional time, look for Hamilton and Cooper Pratt to see action at the hot corner.
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Brewers' Joey Ortiz: Shifting to bench Tuesday
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Ortiz is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Giants.
Dating back to July 4, Ortiz started in all but two of the Brewers' ensuing 20 games and enjoyed his best offensive stretch of the season, slashing .339/.388/.629 with three home runs, three steals, nine runs and nine RBI. The recent return of David Hamilton from the injured list presents a potential roadblock to Ortiz maintaining an everyday role, but Ortiz won't be phased out entirely while he's swinging a hot bat. Expect Hamilton and Ortiz to be deployed in something of a timeshare at third base, with Ortiz also picking up occasional starts at shortstop when rookie Cooper Pratt is rested.
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Brewers' Joey Ortiz: Reaches four times in win
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Ortiz went 3-for-3 with a triple, a double, two runs scored, two RBI and a stolen base in Wednesday's 4-3 win over the Mets.
Ortiz filled the stat sheet Wednesday while ultimately coming a homer shy of a cycle. He put the Brewers ahead in the second inning with a two-run, two-out triple, his first three-bagger this season. Ortiz has been hot since the All-Star break, going 7-for-17 with two homers, four extra-base hits, six RBI and three steals in six games. He's now slashing .239/.310/.352 with five homers, eight steals, 29 runs scored and 28 RBI across 262 plate appearances this season.
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Brewers' Joey Ortiz: Blasts key homer in Monday's win
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Ortiz went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Monday's 5-3 win over Cincinnati.
Ortiz's lone hit was a big one, as he belted a two-run homer in the eighth inning to break a 3-3 tie and give Milwaukee a lead it wouldn't relinquish. The 27-year-old got the start at third base, where he has split time with David Hamilton since top prospect Cooper Pratt was promoted to play shortstop June 16. Ortiz has had a limited offensive impact this season, slashing .201/.281/.266 with two homers, 17 RBI, 20 runs and five stolen bases across 69 appearances.
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Brewers' Joey Ortiz: Idle again Wednesday
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Ortiz is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Cardinals.
Ortiz will be on the bench for a second straight game while the Brewers once again go with Luis Rengifo and David Hamilton as their starters on the left side of the infield. Neither Ortiz (57 wRC+), Rengifo (52 wRC+) nor Hamilton (73 wRC+) have been productive at the plate this season, so manager Pat Murphy could continue to mix and match at third base and shortstop rather than committing to any of the three in an everyday role.
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Brewers' Joey Ortiz: Settling back into everyday role
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Ortiz will start at shortstop and bat eighth in Sunday's game against the Dodgers.
Dating back to May 12, Ortiz has produced a .798 OPS on the back of a stellar 25 percent walk rate. His improved production at the dish has allowed him to reclaim a regular spot on the left side of the infield, as he'll draw a fourth consecutive start Sunday. Luis Rengifo is on the bench for the third time in four games and appears to have fallen into a utility role.
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Brewers' Joey Ortiz: Role diminishing
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Ortiz is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Pirates.
After starting at shortstop in 14 of Milwaukee's first 18 games of the season, Ortiz is on the bench Sunday for the fifth time in the past nine contests. David Hamilton has seen more action at shortstop as a result, creating more opportunities at third base for Luis Rengifo. Ortiz had a .593 OPS in 149 regular-season games last year and has a .180/.265/.180 slash line through 70 plate appearances this season, and that lack of offensive production is affecting his playing time.
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Brewers' Joey Ortiz: Sitting down Friday
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Ortiz isn't in the lineup for Friday's game against the Pirates.
Ortiz will get a day to rest after snapping his six-game hitless streak with his single against the Tigers on Thursday. David Hamilton will start at shortstop Friday while Luis Rengifo mans the hot corner.
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Brewers' Joey Ortiz: Absent from lineup
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Ortiz is not in the Brewers' starting lineup against the Nationals on Friday.
The Brewers will start David Hamilton and Luis Rengifo at shortstop and third base, respectively, for Friday's series opener. Through five games in April, Oritz has gone 3-for-19 (.158) with one steal, two runs scored and five strikeouts.
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Brewers' Joey Ortiz: Idle to begin doubleheader
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Ortiz isn't in the lineup for the first game of Saturday's doubleheader against the Royals.
Ortiz has gone 6-for-18 with three RBI, five runs scored and two steals through his first five games, but the Brewers will keep him in the dugout to begin the first game of Saturday's schedule. David Hamilton will slide to shortstop as a result while Luis Rengifo starts at the hot corner, batting second.
