Brandon Woodruff reaches key milestone in rehab process as return to Brewers' rotation draws nearer

Brandon Woodruff's recovery process from his "dead arm" incident back in late April has not been exactly what the Milwaukee Brewers anticipated. After initially believing the veteran right-hander would simply need a few bullpens and just two or three weeks on the IL before returning to the big-league rotation, Woodruff's rehab process is now approaching the two-month mark.

With Woodruff on the shelf, the Brewers' rotation has admirably weathered the storm -- a process made even more difficult by the fact that Quinn Priester still resides on the injured list and rookie right-handers Logan Henderson and Coleman Crow have since joined him there. Despite their banged-up rotation, Milwaukee continues to rack up wins, and just notched their 44th victory of the season last night, which is the most victories through the first 70 games of the season in franchise history.

Even still, the return of Woodruff to Milwaukee's rotation will be a welcomed development for the Brewers and their fans alike. Woody's timeline continuing to be pushed back is certainly a concerning trend for the veteran starter, who has dealt with injuries in each of the last three seasons and has an expensive $22.025 million salary tied to him in 2026.

However, on Tuesday night, Woodruff turned in an encouraging outing while pitching on a rehab assignment for the High-A Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, alleviating some concerns that his return to the Brewers' rotation would be further delayed.

Brandon Woodruff covers 5.1 innings, tosses 82 pitches in what could be his final tune-up before a return to Brewers' rotation

Woodruff doesn't always embark on rehab assignments when rehabbing from an injury. The now-33-year-old starter often opts not to "waste pitches" in the minor leagues while working back to full strength. However, after velocity concerns during his live batting practice sessions suggested more time was needed before his return to a big-league mound, Woody went to Arizona to make a start with the Brewers' Rookie Ball affiliate while the team was in Las Vegas last week.

Though many expected Woody to rejoin the rotation during the ongoing Cleveland Guardians series, the 2x All-Star instead headed up to Appleton to make another rehab start with the Timber Rattlers. Said rehab outing took place last night as the T-Rats matched up with the Quad Cities River Bandits, the Kansas City Royals' High-A affiliate. While the results were rather pedestrian -- Woody allowed three earned runs on five hits -- what's more important is that the Brewers' veteran starter experienced "six ups" during his 5.1-inning outing and tossed 82 pitches. A report from sportswriter Tom Johnston, who was at the game covering the River Bandits, notes that Woody was sitting in the low-90s with his fastball and touched 93 mph at one point.

The restored fastball velocity and long outing are both excellent indications that Woody is ready to return to the Brewers' rotation in the near future -- potentially as early as this weekend, when the Crew takes on the NL-leading Atlanta Braves. That said, a return for the series finale on Sunday afternoon would give Woody the normal four days of rest, so it's possible Milwaukee delays his return to their series against the NL Central rival Cincinnati Reds in an effort to ease the veteran back into the big leagues. Regardless, it appears as if Woody's return is imminent.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow