Milwaukee Brewers: What happened to Brandon Woodruff?

The Milwaukee Brewers called up right-handed starter Brandon Woodruff to make his Major League debut on June 13th. Scratched from his scheduled start after experiencing tightness in his right hamstring, he went on the disabled list. What’s the status of his rehab and when will he actually take the mound for the Brewers?

Milwaukee Brewers prospect Brandon Woodruff was diagnosed with a hamstring strain, and it was speculated that he would need more than 10 days to return. It’s been 13 days since his injury with few status updates. It’s unlikely that he’ll return to the mound before the All-Star break at this point. Even when Woodruff returns to the mound, he’s probably going to be pitching for Colorado Springs, not Milwaukee.

Where Does Woodruff Fit In?

Unless Zach Davies completely falls apart or another starter suffers an injury, Woodruff is likely ticketed back to Colorado Springs at least until September 1st.

Jimmy Nelson and Chase Anderson have solidified the top two spots in the Brewers rotation. The return of Junior Guerra and Matt Garza has provided the rotation with capable starters to eat up innings behind Nelson and Anderson. That leaves Zach Davies.

Davies may own an unsightly 4.96 ERA, but it comes with an 8-4 record in 16 starts. He’s only struck out 55 while walking 28 and surrendering 14 homers in 85 1/3 innings of work. If there’s a weak link in the Milwaukee Brewers starting rotation, Davies is it.

He is coming off a quality start against the Atlanta Braves on June 25th that saw him toss seven scoreless innings. He only walked one batter, but he didn’t manage to strike anyone out.

The Brewers have been very patient with Davies, but his pitch count always seems to be hovering around the 100-mark after five innings. What’s more concerning is that his stuff doesn’t generate the swings and misses that elite starters need to succeed. Comparing 2016 to 2017, his K-rate has decreased, while his walk rate has increased.

The team is clearly committed to him in the short term, but the future of the Brewers rotation as Brandon Woodruff and Josh Hader as key contributors. Until the wheels truly fall off with Davies like the did with Wily Peralta, Woodruff is the odd man out. He will likely head back to Triple-A once he’s healthy enough to take the mound again.

Next: How Does Stephen Vogt Fit Into The Brewers Plans?

Brandon Woodruff has a bright future with the Milwaukee Brewers. It looks like he’s going to have to wait on starting his Major League career for a little longer. He will be back in the next few months, but he needs to get healthy and wait for a real opportunity.