The Milwaukee Brewers have certainly had some trials and tribulations this offseason. Losing Willy Adames was a long expected outcome and trading away Devin Williams did yield a promising return, but the fact remains that they were both really good players who are now playing elsewhere. The one consistent source of optimism for Brewers fans was that Brandon Woodruff was coming back.
Ever since the news broke that Woodruff needed shoulder surgery, Brewers fans have been eager to see him back on the mound. Most of the news about Woodruff's rehab has been promising and when he is right, he remains one of the best starters in all of baseball.
Unfortunately, Brewers fans got the word about a week ago that Woodruff won't be 100% in spring training and there is no guarantee he will be ready for 2025 Opening Day. Clearly the reaction to that revelation got Woodruff's attention and he decided to set the record straight and say that he will be a full participant in spring training.
Brandon Woodruff wanted to clear something up: He’s a full participant as Spring Training gets underway. He hasn’t had any setbacks. Next big milestone is Friday when he faces hitters. pic.twitter.com/wT6EM3Armx
— Adam McCalvy (@AdamMcCalvy) February 12, 2025
Brewers' Brandon Woodruff lets fans know that he will be a full participant in spring training and has had zero setbacks
When manager Pat Murphy pumped the brakes on the optimism for Woodruff's return, fans were understandably concerned. Everything we have heard from Woodruff was about how good he felt and many wondered if he had experienced a problem recently that could delay his return even more.
However, Woodruff wasn't having it and spoke to media down at the start of spring training. He said that he got cleared to face hitters on Friday, he feels good, and has not had any setbacks in his recovery. It sounds like the Brewers are just planning on being cautious with their expectations of Woodruff after such a long layoff and rightly so.
Importantly, Woodruff said he is going to be a full participant in spring training this year. While that is not a guarantee that he will be ready for Opening Day as he will still need to be stretched out without incident, it does not seem like Brewers fans will have to wait too long to see Woodruff starting in games that count again assuming all continues to go well.