Ortiz has hit safely in seven straight games for Triple-A Rochester, batting .333 (10-for-30) with seven home runs and 20 RBI during that stretch. The 24-year-old first baseman is decimating the International League to close out May as he turns things around following a sluggish start to the season. At the end of April, Ortiz carried a .231/.375/.352 slash line with just one homer in 27 games. If he keeps swinging a hot bat, he could slug his way into the Nationals' 1B/DH picture over the summer.
The Nationals optioned Ortiz to Triple-A Rochester on Wednesday. Ortiz was part of the haul the Nationals received from the Rangers in the MacKenzie Gore trade over the winter. The 24-year-old Ortiz will have to wait to make his MLB debut. He slashed .257/.356/.479 with 25 home runs, 89 RBI and 85 runs scored across 130 games at Double-A and Triple-A last season but struggled during spring training, hitting .136 with a .478 OPS across 27 trips to the plate.
The Rangers traded Ortiz, Gavin Fien, Alejandro Rosario (elbow), Devin Fitz-Gerald (shoulder) and Yeremy Cabrera to the Nationals on Thursday in exchange for MacKenzie Gore, Robert Murray of FanSided.com reports. Ortiz split time between Double-A and Triple-A last year, slashing .257/.356/.479 with 25 homers, 89 RBI and 85 runs scored between the two levels. The 23-year-old first baseman was awarded a 40-man roster spot in November and will now presumably compete with Andres Chaparro for the starting job in Washington.