Brandon Woodruff to miss time with inflamed labrum

There hasn’t been any official clarity from either the Brewers or Woodruff after he underwent followup imaging on his shoulder in late September. The 33-year-old has been cleared to resume throwing and is presumably ramping up his pitch count and stamina in an effort to contribute if Milwaukee makes a deep postseason run.

Woodruff is holding out hope that he’ll be able to pitch at some point during Milwaukee’s upcoming playoff run after managing to avoid season-ending shoulder surgery. He’ll undergo imaging to determine his next steps and whether he’ll be cleared to progress to throwing bullpen sessions.

As of now, the plan is for the Brewers to “re-evaluate him for mound readiness at the end of September.” While it’s great that Woodruff is building back up, the fact that he is not pitching off a mound and won’t even be evaluated until the end of the month makes it seem unlikely he will pitch meaningful innings this postseason. Perhaps if the Brewers are able to advance, he could give them some innings out of the bullpen or as an opener, but it remains to be seen how effective he will even be.

This qualifies as an all-time unexpected late-season development. Woodruff told reporters last month that he was undergoing season-ending capsule surgery on his right shoulder. That didn’t end up happening after followup imaging showed better than expected healing to the point that Dr. Keith Meister told him that surgery wasn’t required. He’ll begin a five-week throwing progression next week with the aim of being ready to pitch for Milwaukee in the postseason. Unreal. He won’t be ready in time to help fantasy managers down the home stretch, but his unexpected return would be a massive development for the Brewers heading into the playoffs.

The history of pitchers returning from multiple shoulder surgeries is extremely bleak, but Woodruff has insisted that he plans on pitching again. The 33-year-old former fantasy ace will miss the remainder of the current season in addition to a significant chunk of next year as well. He missed nearly a year and a half after undergoing a similar capsule repair procedure back in 2023. This latest development certainly helps explain why Milwaukee went out and acquire Lance McCullers Jr. from the Astros earlier this week.

While the Brewers have yet to provide an update after Woodruff received a second opinion on his injured shoulder, the fact that he’s being moved to the 60-day injured list doesn’t bode well. He won’t be eligible to return until early September, and it seems increasingly likely that Woodruff has already thrown his final pitch for the Brewers this season.

Brewers manager Pat Murphy described Woodruff’s initial MRI results as inconclusive after he landed back on the shelf with shoulder inflammation over the weekend. It’s an ominous development that leaves him without a definitive diagnosis and clear next steps. It certainly sounds like Woodruff is facing an extended absence and there’s a chance his season is over.

As expected, Woodruff lands on the injured list after re-injuring his right labrum during Saturday’s start against the Diamondbacks. While the Brewers haven’t given a timeline for his return, if it’s similar to the last time he dealt with this same issue, he wouldn’t return until mid-August. Drew Rom was recalled from Triple-A Nashville in a corresponding move on Sunday to add a fresh arm to the Brewers’ bullpen.

Woodruff exited after allowing three runs in 3 2/3 innings, and his velocity was down to 87 mph before he left the contest. The 33-year-old has unfortunately has dealt with significant injuries in the past, and fantasy managers will need to hold their breath and hope that this isn’t another one. More info should be available before the game ends.

Woodruff was excellent, striking out six and allowing just one hit with two free passes. Unfortunately, the 33-year-old received just one run of support, and the Brew Crew fell in extras. Still, it’s hard to not be impressed with how Woodruff has looked since his return, as he’s given up no runs in his 11 2/3 innings with 16 strikeouts in that timeframe. The 33-year-old will be back on the bump Saturday against the Diamondbacks, and he should obviously be in fantasy lineups.