Brandon

Woodruff

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.

The veteran was encouraged by being able to throw four “ups,” and he felt like this stuff performed close to how he wanted to, but he admitted that his status for Opening Day is still “up in the air.” His “main goal is the end of the year,” so he and the Brewers will not push for him to be on the mound to start the season if he’s not clearly ready to do so. With Quinn Priester (nerve issue) likely starting the season on the IL, that could mean there are three rotation spots for Kyle Harrison, Logan Henderson (elbow), Robert Gasser, Brandon Sproat, DL Hall, Aaron Ashby, and Shane Drohan to fight for. Woodruff also mentioned that he may need to pitch on six days’ rest throughout the season, which means the team may need to use spot starters throughout the year to keep him on schedule.

Given how little we knew about Woodruff’s spring progression as he returns from a lat strain, it was pretty encouraging that he averaged 92.0 mph with his fastball, even if that was still 1.1 mph lower than his 2025 average. The 33-year-old struck out three while giving up a pair of hits and one free pass. Woodruff looks like he’ll be ready for the start of the regular season, but fantasy managers should prepare for some precautions from the Brewers in the early portion of 2026.

There was some back-and-forth earlier this spring regarding Woodruff’s uncertain availability for Milwaukee’s season opener but it sounds like he’s on track to avoid a trip to the injured list. The 33-year-old veteran was excellent upon returning from shoulder surgery last year before a lat injury knocked him out for the postseason. There could be some workload limitations in the early portion of the year, but Woodruff appears ready to go.

We have to admit, we’re a bit confused. On Monday, Woodruff gave an interview where he said that he wasn’t sure if he would be ready for Opening Day. Perhaps he meant that literally, and the Brewers are suggesting he’ll start one of the other games to begin the season? All we know for sure is that Woodruff will throw a live batting practice session on March 1 and then begin his game progression. If all goes well, it wouldn’t be a surprise for him to be ready for Opening Day, but considering he ended last season with a lat injury and began last season by recovering from shoulder capsule surgery, there is plenty of risk here.

Woodruff said he had a normal offseason while waiting for his lat strain to heal, but that it was still decided to bring him along a little slowly this spring. He threw 25 pitchers to hitters today, which is basically what the rest of the league’s starters are doing in game action, so he doesn’t seem far behind. He did indicate that he was likely in line for one more sim game before pitching in a spring game.

A healthy Woodruff seems like a bargain at this rate, especially if his velocity improves some in his second year back from shoulder surgery. Regardless, just the one-year obligation makes this a clear winner. The Brewers are currently looking at a rotation of Freddy Peralta, Woodruff, Quinn Priester and Jacob Misiorowski, with Chad Patrick, Logan Henderson, Robert Gasser, Tobias Myers and maybe Andy Ashby in the mix for the fifth spot.

Once it’s official, he’ll be put right back on Milwaukee’s roster. We’d say this is great news for the Brewers, though they might look for some additional financial flexibility now. Perhaps trading Freddy Peralta could be back on the table.

Passan adds that Kyle Schwarber, Bo Bichette, Framber Valdez, Dylan Cease, Ranger Suarez, Edwin Díaz, Zac Gallen, Shota Imanaga, Michael King, Trent Grisham, Gleyber Torres and Brandon Woodruff are the other dozen impending free agent to receive the tag prior to Thursday evening’s deadline. They have until Tuesday, November 18 to decide whether to accept the one-year deal or decline and become free agents. Only 14 of 144 players to receive a qualifying offer since 2012 have actually accepted it. It’s worth noting that players who were on multiple teams — Josh Naylor and Eugenio Suárez — along with players who have previously received a qualifying offer — Pete Alonso, Cody Bellinger and Alex Bregman — were ineligible to receive one this offseason.

Woodruff heads to the open market this offseason in search of a longer term financial commitment after receiving a $10 million buyout. The 32-year-old veteran right-hander was outstanding during the regular season for Milwaukee in his return from a nearly two-year absence due to shoulder surgery, compiling a strong 3.20 ERA and 83/14 K/BB ratio across 64 2/3 innings over 12 starts. His status remains a bit up in the air heading into next spring after missing the postseason due to a lat strain.