Abimelec Ortiz goes deep in victory over Reds

Ortiz doubled in the first inning and scored the team’s first run on a hit by CJ Abrams. He then drove in two runs on a base hit in the second. Ortiz was intentionally walked in the fourth before he was lifted for a pinch-hitter in the seventh. The 24-year-old first baseman is hitting .218/.259/.400 with five homers, 16 runs scored, and 13 RBI across 116 plate appearances.

It’s just the second time since Ortiz was called up on Aug. 3 that he’d been left out of the lineup against a righty. Ortiz is 3-for-26 with one RBI and a 9/1 K/BB in his last nine games, which helps explain his absence.

Terribly unfortunate to miss a start against RHP Gabriel Hughes, who is 0-5 with a 6.54 ERA. Andrés Chaparro will draw the assignment instead. It’s the first day off for Ortiz in the last six.

Ortiz poked an opposite-field solo blast off Christian Scott to account for the Nationals’ only extra-base hit on the afternoon. The lefty-hitting first baseman came over from the Rangers in last winter’s MacKenzie Gore trade, and he’s essentially filled Luis García Jr.'s role since the trade deadline. Ortiz has started at first and hit second in every game against a right-hander since being called up. He has impressive batted-ball metrics through 14 games with Washington, and the only blemish in his profile is a poor walk rate. That doesn’t align with what he showed in the minors. There could be further upside if his patience improves and the remaining Statcast metrics hold.

Ortiz smacked a one-out single off of Kevin Gausman in the fourth inning and scored the game’s first run on an RBI double by Dylan Crews. He then broke the game open as he ambushed a first-pitch fastball from Gausman for a 414-foot (105.2-mph EV) three-run shot in the fifth inning. The 24-year-old is taking advantage of his opportunity here, slashing .333/.355/.767 with four homers and eight RBI in his first 31 plate appearances with the Nationals. He could be worth a look in deeper mixed leagues until he shows any signs of cooling down.

Ortiz began the game on the bench with southpaw David Peterson on the mound for the Cubs. In the sixth inning, he pinch hit for Andres Chaparro and hit a home run off right-hander Javier Assad. Ortiz’ home run was his third in his first 26 at-bats in the major leagues. While his playing time will continue to be limited to the strong side of the first base platoon, his power appears legitimate enough to be worth a twirl in mixed leagues.

Ortiz takes a seat with lefty Shota Imanaga toeing the rubber for Chicago in this one. He’ll continue to sit in favor of Andrés Chaparro against most left-handers over the final few weeks of the season. The 24-year-old rookie has gone deep twice in seven games since returning to the majors last week. He’s at least worthy of a speculative roster spot in deeper mixed leagues based on his power upside.

Ortiz was one of the big winners from a playing time standpoint at the trade deadline after the Nationals jettisoned Luis García Jr. to the Yankees. The 24-year-old should play everyday at first base against right-handed starters and offers enough over-the-fence pop to be an impactful addition in deeper mixed leagues, especially if he’s going to bat near the top of Washington’s lineup.

Ortiz, who homered during Monday’s series opener in Philadelphia, takes a seat with Andrés Chaparro getting the nod to face lefty Jesús Luzardo. The 24-year-old has an interesting fantasy skillset since he offers some over-the-fence pop and should bat near the heart of Washington’s lineup. He’s probably going to sit against most lefties over the final two months, but should do enough damage against right-handers to merit roster consideration in deeper mixed leagues.

Ortiz was recalled from Triple-A on Monday to be the starting first baseman with Luis Garcia now in New York, and he wasted no time in acclimating himself, hitting a first-inning home run off Aaron Nola. Ortiz will sit against left-handed pitchers, and may even be lifted in the middle of the game, as he was today, but he had 18 home runs in Triple-A this season and has clear power. Ortiz is a solid add in fantasy formats right now.