The Milwaukee Brewers did not have many holes to fill on their roster going into the 2025 MLB season. While two-time All-Star closer Devin Williams was traded to the New York Yankees, Milwaukee got a long look at his replacement, Trevor Megill, who filled in for the 2020 NL Rookie of the Year when he missed the first several months of the season as he recovered from stress fractures in his back.
Megill finished the 2024 season with a 1-3 record, 2.72 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, and 21 saves.
The one roster hole, though, that is not so easily filled is the one left by the departure of shortstop Willy Adames. Last season, Adames hit .251/.331/.462 with 32 home runs, 112 RBI, and 21 stolen bases for the Brewers. Earlier this offseason, he signed a seven-year $182 million contract with the San Francisco Giants.
The Milwaukee Brewers May Have Joey Ortiz Move from Third Base to Shortstop
In a recent interview with Brewers insider Adam McCalvy, team owner Mark Attanasio revealed that the team is looking at having Joey Ortiz, who primarily played third base last season, move over to his natural position at shortstop following the Adames trade.
This is not too surprising. Going into the offseason, many speculated that the two internal candidates to play shortstop were Ortiz and second baseman Brice Turang. The thing about Turang, though, is that he is a Gold Glove and Platinum Glove winner at second base already. One would imagine Milwaukee would prefer to keep him there as he has proven to be the literal best defensive second baseman in the league.
Presuming that Ortiz will move to shortstop, the Brewers now face the question of who their primary third baseman will be. Oliver Dunn, who played there a bit last season, is a candidate, as is newly acquired prospect Caleb Durbin.
Attanasio, however, revealed that there is another name the Brewers are looking at.
Milwaukee Brewers Owner Mark Attanasio Revealed Tyler Black May Get a Chance at Third Base
In that same interview with McCalvy, Attanasio revealed that one of Milwaukee’s top prospects, Tyler Black, is also being considered to be the everyday third baseman. This is a bit of a surprise as Black has primarily played first base over the last couple years. However, he does have experience at third base, second base, and center field.
“Maybe third base, but we want to give Tyler Black a shot and Ollie Dunn, and [Joey] Ortiz can slide over. So there was no space to fill. Yeah, there’s always room for starting pitching, but that’s quite expensive, and we want to see what some of these young guys can do.”
In his first taste of Major League action last season, Black hit .204/.316/.245 with two RBI in 18 games. While these numbers are not impressive, it is worth noting that, while at Triple-A in 2024, he hit .258/.375/.429 with 14 home runs, 67 RBI, and 20 stolen bases.
In 2023, splitting time between Double-A and Triple-A, Black hit .284/.417/.513 with 18 home runs, 73 RBI, and 55 stolen bases. He also walked 88 times compared to 100 strikeouts.
That was also the last time he primarily played third base. In 2023, he appeared in 97 games at third base and 16 at first. Last year, he played 70 games at first, just nine at third, four in center field, eight in left field, and 11 as a designated hitter.
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