BALTIMORE – For the second time in two seasons a former New Mexico State baseball player has received the call to the Major Leagues.
The Baltimore Orioles have added infielder Joey Ortiz to the active roster. Ortiz will wear No. 65 and his first appearance will be his Major League debut.
Ortiz joins his former NM State teammate Kyle Bradish on the Baltimore Orioles. Both Ortiz and Bradish played for the Aggies in 2017 and 2018.
When Ortiz makes his Major League debut, he will become the seventh player in NM State history to play in the big leagues. Other former Aggies that have made it to Major League Baseball include Mark Acre, Daniel Johnson, Jason Rakers, Fernando Ramsey and Tyler Sturdevant.
In 16 games with Triple-A Norfolk this season, Ortiz is hitting .359 with eight RBI and seven extra-base hits. Earlier this season Ortiz put together a stretch of four consecutive three-hit games against Nashville and Rochester.
Baltimore will begin a 10-game road swing on Friday evening. The Orioles will face Detroit for four games before traveling to Kansas City and Atlanta. Friday’s game against the Tigers will begin at 4:40 pm
This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: Baltimore Orioles call up former New Mexico State player Joey Ortiz