Brandon

Woodruff

Murphy relayed that Woodruff told him he doesn’t feel like he’s injured, that’s it’s just a dead arm situation. It sounds like a trip to the injured list could be in store for the 33-year-old hurler. Expect the Brewers to provide an update on his status after that evaluation.

He’d allowed one hit and struck out two before leaving. Woodruff showed an alarming amount of diminished velocity, with his four-seamer averaging just 85.4 mph while topping out at 86.9 mph. Manager Pat Murphy said that Woodruff wasn’t feeling any pain, but that getting him out of the game felt like the right move. If this dead arm sort of issue leads to an IL stint, hopefully it won’t be a long one.

Despite very diminished velocity, Woodruff still acts like a power pitcher out there. In the first inning, he only threw four-seam fastballs. Yet, they sat near 91 mph. It was only those fastballs and a smattering of sinkers during his first trip around the Pirates’ order. The only problem was that he didn’t have his best command here. So, mixing up lots of low-90s fastballs that mostly wound up in the heart of the zone did not yield good results. His velocity did tick up as the game wore on, so there’s no cause for alarm with his slow start. Also, it’s worth noting that this was the third time in five starts so far this season where he was pulled before reaching 75 pitches. He wasn’t pitching particularly poorly in any of those either, so it may just be a maneuver by the Brewers to manage his workload. He’s scheduled to face the Diamondbacks next time out.

Woodruff was outstanding on Saturday, holding the Marlins to one run on three hits and a walk over seven frames. He tossed 70 of 92 pitches for strikes and struck out four batters on 12 whiffs despite sitting 91.8 mph on the fastball, down from his season average of 92.5 mph. The 33-year-old right-hander has made it work, posting a 3.42 ERA, 0.93 WHIP, and a 20/4 K/BB ratio across 23 2/3 innings. He’ll look to keep it going against the Pirates in Milwaukee on Friday.

He left with a one-run lead that disappeared right away in the seventh. Woodruff surely would have liked to have still been pitching at that point; it took him just 70 pitches to get his 18 outs. His velocity is creeping back up some, and signs point to him being plenty valuable in mixed leagues while healthy. He’ll face the Marlins next.

Sproat had been scheduled to pitch on Saturday, but instead they’ll move up Kyle Harrison to pitch in his place on Saturday while Brandon Woodruff will get the ball on Sunday. It’s unclear if Sproat will then work back in for their series against the Blue Jays next week, or if they’ll utilize Monday’s off day to skip him this turn through the rotation.

Woodruff also struck out four and walked two while posting a 22 percent whiff rate and 62 percent strikes overall. Woodruff’s four-seam velocity was down almost two mph in his one, but he actually started the game averaging under 90 mph on the four-seamer and was up around 92 mph at the end of the game. Woddruff was able to get ahead with his four-seamer, and his changeup missed plenty of bats in this one, so we wouldn’t worry too much about the mediocre results.

Woodruff’s first start of 2026 should be considered a success. He generated a decent eight swings-and-misses while striking out six, and the only two runs he allowed came on solo homers in his first and final frame, respectively. Woodruff is a pitcher who should be in lineups for his scheduled bout against the Red Sox next week, and as long as he can stay healthy, there’s a good chance he’ll be one of the better fantasy options in the NL this season.

Woodruff gets the ball for Milwaukee’s fifth game of the regular season to open a three-game series against Tampa Bay at American Family Field. There were some questions earlier this spring whether the veteran fantasy stalwart would be ready for Opening Day coming off a lat strain. The 33-year-old appears ready to roll and will pitch at the back-end of the Brewers’ rotation.

The 33-year-old right-hander struck out four batters on the evening while issuing one walk. The Rangers scratched out a run against him in the third inning, then Woodruff returned for the fourth and allowed solo homers to Ezequiel Duran and Mark Canha before exiting. Overall he got eight swings and misses on 62 pitches on the night, posting a CSW of 31 percent. His average fastball velocity was just 91.6 mph (-1.5 mph) in this one, which can be expected after a long layoff. His status for Opening Day remains “up in the air” and there have been rumblings that he could require six days between starts for the duration of the 2026 season.