The Milwaukee Brewers are currently awaiting further results as to the status of their starting shortstop Joey Ortiz’s hamstring. He injured his left leg running to first base on Thursday, August 21, which was a separate injury from when his entire right leg went numb a few days ago after he fouled a ball off of his knee.
With an MRI pending, the Brewers will soon know the severity of Ortiz’s hamstring injury. If he is forced to miss substantial time, which is generally likely with this kind of soft tissue injury, then Milwaukee may soon be exploring ways to re-align and re-enforce their infield without their gold glove caliber shortstop.
Here, we take a look at one sleeper candidate the Brew Crew may utilize if Ortiz is forced to miss substantial time.
Raynel Delgado is having a tremendous season in the minor leagues
25 year old infielder Raynel Delgado was signed to a minor league contract with the Brewers last November and is enjoying another great season in Triple-A. Last year, at the Cleveland Guardians Triple-A affiliate, Delgado slashed .275/.365/.426 with 22 stolen bases and just a 24% strikeout rate while walking 11% of the time. This year has been more of the same, with a .271/.348/.370 slash line, 33 stolen bases, 21% strikeout rates, and 9% walk rate.
🚨 A REVERSE NATURAL CYCLE 🚨
Raynel Delgado (@Brewers) logs the first cycle of any kind for the @nashvillesounds since 2011, adding a career-high 5 RBIs 🥳 pic.twitter.com/PAlD4X6x4p
— Minor League Baseball (@MiLB) August 20, 2025
Where would Delgado fit on the Milwaukee Brewers active roster?
If the Brewers were going to promote Delgado in Ortiz’s presumed absence, second base would likely be where he lands, but he has played third base, shortstop, and the outfield this season. A move like this, would likely shift Brice Turang over to shortstop for the short term.
A corresponding 40-man roster move would have to be made if Delgado was selected to join the Brewers. Taking Oliver Dunn’s spot is one possibility, as he has struggled mightily in his second season with the organization.
With Ortiz potentially going to be sidelined, the Brewers will need to get creative to fill the void in the infield. Whether it’s moving Brice Turang to shortstop, promoting a versatile player like Delgado, or leaning on internal depth with someone like Monasterio, the club has options.
With a playoff push in full swing, it will be interesting to see which direction Milwaukee goes and who ultimately gets the call to help hold down the fort should Ortiz miss time.
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