Last season, it was generally accepted that the Milwaukee Brewers would trade their ace, 2021 National League Cy Young Award winner, Corbin Burnes before he reached free agency. However, it was also well known that whatever return Milwaukee got would have to be a good one. If they did not get an offer that they felt was adequate, they would have held onto him.
The Baltimore Orioles, though, stepped in with an offer that the Brewers liked. Baltimore ended up receiving Burnes in exchange for left-handed starting pitcher DL Hall and infielder Joey Ortiz. Both players made their first Opening Day roster with the Brewers following spring training.
Milwaukee Brewers Starter DL Hall Has Struggled with Velocity and Injuries

Hall was immediately added to the Brewers’ starting rotation as it was in need of some depth following the departure of Burnes and Brandon Woodruff’s injury. Hall joined rotation newcomers Joe Ross and Jakob Junis behind incumbents Freddy Peralta and Wade Miley.
Unfortunately, the promise that Hall showed in Spring Training was not realized on the mound. Through four starts, Hall is 0-1 with a whopping 7.71 ERA and 2.27 WHIP. He was taken out of his last start, a game against the St. Louis Cardinals, and was diagnosed with a knee injury.
Hall remains on IL, though there is some hope that he will be able to return to the rotation soon. His fellow newcomers, Ross and Junis, are both on IL as well.
Milwaukee Brewers Third Baseman Joey Ortiz Won the National League Rookie of the Month for May

Whereas Hall has struggled, Ortiz has been better than many fans expected him to be when the trade first happened. So far this season, he is hitting .293/.391/.503 with five home runs and 21 RBI. He also has 12 doubles and two triples. Ortiz is also keeping his strikeout to walk ratio pretty even, as he has 25 strikeouts and 23 walks.
Earlier on Monday, it was announced that Ortiz had been named the National League Rookie of the Month for May. He hit .307/.391/.587 with four home runs and 12 RBI last month.
Ortiz’s win is the eighth time in franchise history that a Brewers’ player has won a rookie of the month award. The other times were:
Joey Ortiz is the seventh @Brewers rookie (8x) to win NL Rookie of the Month, joining this list…#ThisIsMyCrew pic.twitter.com/LMCdutMHPy
— Mike Vassallo (@MikeVassallo13) June 3, 2024
Milwaukee has had three of its players win Rookie of the Year: Pat Listach, Ryan Braun, and Devin Williams.
Milwaukee Brewers Third Baseman Joey Ortiz Responds to Winning National League Rookie of the Month

Reporters were able to catch up with Ortiz in Philadelphia, where the Brewers are set to begin a three-game series against the Phillies.
Ortiz was asked about whether or not winning Rookie of the Month was something he expected to happen. He responded:
Some ROTM action: pic.twitter.com/l7c2GTpPI4
— Todd Rosiak (@Todd_Rosiak) June 3, 2024
“No, definitely not something I expected. I was just trying to go out there and do my job,” Ortiz responded. “Worry about helping the team win. That’s honestly, what really matters.
“Accolades are cool, but I just really want to do whatever I can to put the team in a good position. That’s really what matters.”
It is still very early, but it sure seems like Brewers got a good return in the Burnes trade.
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