New Mexico State Professional Athletes

New Mexico State has never been a traditional MLB pipeline, but this October, three Aggies alumni find themselves squarely in the postseason conversation — for better and for worse.

Joey Ortiz: Bruised, Not Broken

The biggest name is also carrying the most scrutiny. Joey Ortiz, the 28-year-old shortstop/third baseman for the Milwaukee Brewers — the NL's No. 1 seed — gave fans an injury scare heading into the NLDS after undergoing an MRI on his right knee. The verdict? Manager Pat Murphy told reporters the imaging came back "all good." Ortiz also has some abdominal swelling, but neither issue is considered serious.

Ortiz himself has been publicly confident. Before the Cardinals series finale, he gave his own injury update and made clear he expected to be ready for the NLDS opener. The Brewers, being cautious with a player central to their postseason lineup, have been measured in their messaging — but all signs point to Ortiz being available when Milwaukee's title push begins.

For NMSU fans, Ortiz's rise to anchor a No. 1 seed's infield remains one of the program's proudest recent exports.

Kyle Bradish: Season Over, Questions Linger

The news was far grimmer for Kyle Bradish. The Baltimore Orioles righty will undergo hernia surgery after Orioles president of baseball operations Mike Elias confirmed it at his end-of-season press conference. Bradish had been dealing with a hernia through his final three starts of the season and was placed on the 15-day IL with abdominal discomfort before the season closed.

The surgery caps a frustrating year. Bradish's 2026 campaign ended up close to league average — serviceable for stretches, but not the frontline performance Baltimore needed from a rotation anchor. The Orioles missed the postseason, and Bradish's health timeline for 2027 now becomes a significant offseason variable for the franchise.

Nick Gonzales: Good Bat, Uncertain Glove

In Pittsburgh, Nick Gonzales is facing a different kind of uncertainty. The Pirates have publicly acknowledged they don't yet know where Gonzales fits defensively heading into next season — a notable admission for a player who logged a 2-for-4 day with a run scored against Detroit on September 27, pushing his average to .303 on the year.

The bat is not the concern. Gonzales can hit, and a .303 average gives Pittsburgh every reason to find him a home in the lineup. The question is whether that home is at third base, elsewhere on the infield, or somewhere else entirely. The Pirates' uncertainty about his defensive future could shape their entire infield roster strategy this winter.

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Three Aggies, three very different storylines — but all carrying real stakes as October baseball gets underway. Ortiz has the most to play for right now. Bradish will spend the postseason rehabbing. And Gonzales heads into an offseason where his next position might be decided in a front-office meeting rather than on the field.

New Mexico State is having a moment in Major League Baseball, and two Aggies are making sure of it heading into the final week of the 2026 regular season.

Joey Ortiz Is Milwaukee's Playoff X-Factor

The Brewers are in, and Joey Ortiz is going with them — as more than just a roster name. Milwaukee's manager made it explicitly clear this week that the former NMSU shortstop will play a significant role when the postseason begins, a statement of confidence that underscores just how far Ortiz has come as a big-league contributor.

The numbers back it up. Ortiz was a factor in multiple Brewers wins during the week of September 20–26, recording an RBI single in Milwaukee's 5-1 victory over the Phillies on Thursday — a game that also featured contributions from Sal Frelick, Jake Bauers, Cooper Pratt, and Jackson Chourio. He then turned in a two-hit performance in Friday's 8-4 win over the Cardinals, lifting his average to .270 on the season.

It has been a steady, productive closing stretch for Ortiz, who has collected hits in multiple outings across the final week and appears locked in at the right time. For Aggie fans, the upside here is clear: their guy isn't just along for the playoff ride — he's expected to help drive it.

Nick Gonzales Is Quietly Putting Together a Career Month

While Ortiz chases October glory in Milwaukee, Nick Gonzales is doing something equally impressive in Pittsburgh: quietly becoming one of the Pirates' most reliable bats down the stretch.

The third baseman closed the week hitting .302, a figure he's defended and even nudged upward through a demanding schedule that included series against St. Louis, Detroit, and Kansas City. On Friday, Gonzales went 1-for-his-appearances with an RBI, a run scored, and a walk in a 7-8 loss to the Tigers — a productive line in a losing effort. He also contributed hits in three consecutive midweek games against the Cardinals, maintaining his average with quiet consistency.

Hitting .302 this deep into a season is a meaningful benchmark. For a Pirates club that has missed the postseason, Gonzales is giving the organization and its fans something to feel good about heading into the offseason — and he's making a strong case to be a cornerstone of Pittsburgh's infield going forward.

The Bigger Picture

Two Aggies, two very different September contexts. Ortiz is preparing for the brightest spotlight in baseball with a Brewers team that believes in him. Gonzales is wrapping up a personally strong season on a team still searching for its footing. Both stories reflect well on Las Cruces.

Elsewhere in the NMSU alumni orbit, Kyle Bradish was moved to the 60-day injured list by Baltimore, ending his season prematurely and opening a 40-man roster spot for the Orioles. It's a tough finish for the right-hander, who now faces a winter of recovery rather than reflection on a healthy year.

The Ortiz-Gonzales tandem is the headline, though. When the Brewers' playoff run begins, New Mexico State fans will have a reason to tune in beyond just rooting for baseball.

New Mexico State Alumni Report | MLB | Sept. 13–19

Two former Aggies are making noise at the top of the NL standings while a third watches the final weeks from the sideline. It's a bittersweet late-September stretch for New Mexico State's MLB contingent — one defined by batting-title drama, a breakout Brewer, and a frustrating finish for a once-dominant starter.

Gonzales in the NL Batting Title Hunt

Nick Gonzales is playing the most important at-bats of his career. The Pirates third baseman enters the final stretch of 2026 batting .304 — squarely in NL batting title contention — but per Sports Illustrated, he's facing stiff competition and will need a strong finish to hold his position.

The week didn't move the needle dramatically for Gonzales. He went hitless on Wednesday against Milwaukee, dropping his average briefly to .307 before settling back at .304 by week's end. The bright spots: a multi-hit game Tuesday against the Brewers (2-for-4, walk), a hit and RBI in Sunday's win over the Cubs, and consistent contributions in Pittsburgh's split series with Kansas City to close the week. The floor isn't dropping — but with the leaderboard tight, every plate appearance counts.

Ortiz Delivering for Milwaukee

While Gonzales fights for hardware in Pittsburgh, Joey Ortiz is quietly putting together a strong September for the Brewers at shortstop. Ortiz ended the week at .270, and the counting stats back up the number — he had the standout performance of the week on Tuesday, going 3-for-4 with two RBIs in Milwaukee's 5-1 win over Pittsburgh. Sportsnet's game recap highlighted Ortiz's three-hit night as a centerpiece of a balanced Brewers offensive effort.

Ortiz also went deep on Sunday against Cincinnati — a solo shot that pushed his average to .264 before a strong closing run lifted him to .270. He reached base in every game of the week, adding walks in Thursday's and Friday's contests, and crossed the plate six times in seven games. For a Brewers club managing a competitive late-season schedule, Ortiz has been a reliable presence at the bottom of their lineup.

Bradish Shut Down After Difficult Return

The week's sobering note belongs to Kyle Bradish. The Orioles placed the right-hander on the 15-day injured list with a lower abdominal strain, effectively ending his 2026 regular season. Manager Craig Albernaz confirmed the diagnosis, and Righty Yaramil Hiraldo was called up from Triple-A Norfolk to fill the roster spot.

It's a deflating conclusion to what was already a hard year. Bradish — a Cy Young-caliber arm before Tommy John surgery — struggled throughout 2026, never recapturing the form that made him one of Baltimore's anchors. Sports Illustrated noted the Orioles likely should have managed his workload more conservatively given the recovery timeline. Unless Baltimore reaches the postseason, Bradish's last start of the year is already behind him.

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Three Aggies, three very different Septembers. Gonzales has two weeks to lock up the kind of individual hardware Las Cruces hasn't seen before. Ortiz looks like a legitimate major league piece heading into the offseason. And Bradish heads into the winter with work to do — again.