Brandon Woodruff's upcoming return to Brewers' rotation poses difficult roster decision

In the absence of key rotation options Brandon Woodruff, Quinn Priester, and Logan Henderson, the Brewers have come to rely on rookies Brandon Sproat and Shane Drohan, as well as 27-year-old southpaw Robert Gasser, who lacks extensive major league experience, to fill out a rotation that is headlined by Jacob Misiorowski and Kyle Harrison.

While Priester is set to miss the rest of the 2026 season, after the team announced that the 25-year-old right-hander will undergo rib removal surgery on Monday to finally put his thoracic outlet syndrome-related injury behind him, and Henderson almost certainly won't return before the end of the month as he continues to recover from a lower back strain, Woody is set to rejoin the Brewers' rotation this coming week. As reported by MLB.com Brewers' beat writer Adam McCalvy yesterday afternoon, Woodruff will return to the Brewers' starting staff at some point during the team's away series against the Cincinnati Reds, which begins on Monday night.

Milwaukee has not yet released their pitching schedule for their series in Cincinnati, so it's not yet known exactly which day Big Woo will return, but one way or another, the Brewers' veteran right-hander will be back in the rotation before the end of next week. It's undoubtedly a welcomed development for the Brewers, who despite maintaining a sizable lead in the NL Central, have quietly been the victims of a plethora of injuries this season. That said, while Woody's return is bound to instill excitement in the Brewers and their fanbase alike, it does create uncomfortable questions regarding which currently rostered big-league arm will see a role change in the coming days.

Brandon Woodruff's return could lead to role change for one of Shane Drohan, Brandon Sproat, or Robert Gasser

Woodruff is set to join Miz and Harrison as "locks" in the Brewers' rotation. However, who fills out the back-end of Milwaukee's starting staff before Henderson returns from the IL remains to be seen. The decision comes down to which two of Drohan, Sproat, and Gasser Milwaukee wants to keep in the rotation for the time being.

Each certainly has an argument for keeping their rotation spot after Woody's return. Drohan has had the most success of the three this season, Sproat likely has the most long-term upside, and therefore the most to gain from continuing to compile big-league experience, but Gasser currently has the most major-league experience of the three and is coming off his strongest start of the season -- a 5.2-inning start against the Cleveland Guardians in which he struck out five without allowing a single run.

Of the group, Drohan has the most experience working out of the bullpen, and his 1.82 ERA in 10 relief appearances this season should make the Brewers confident in returning him to their 'pen. However, Drohan's long-term role is most certainly as a starting pitcher, and the southpaw currently slots in as one of the Brewers' best five starters on their active roster.

Meanwhile, despite his struggles this season, the Brewers remain dedicated to Sproat, and it's not difficult to see why. When the young right-hander is on, he looks like a dominant big-league arm. It's simply a matter of limiting the damage when his command or focus starts to wane, which is theoretically something that will improve as he gains more major league experience.

On the other hand, Gasser has the lowest ERA of the three since the start of June, with a 4.02 mark. That decent earned run average includes a start in the hitters' paradise of Las Vegas Ballpark in which Gasser surrendered six earned runs in an outing that should be accompanied by a rather large asterisk. That said, Sproat also pitched in Las Vegas, and turned in one of his best starts of the season.

It's by no means an easy decision for the Brewers. Milwaukee could certainly keep all three on the big-league roster and have one replace Drew Rom, Craig Yoho, or Joel Kuhnel in their bullpen, but regardless, the Brewers are likely to have to move one of their young starters out of the rotation to make room for Woodruff. While Gasser is set to pitch tomorrow's series finale against the Atlanta Braves, that's not necessarily an indication that his rotation spot is safe -- the Brewers could turn to Woodruff, Drohan, and Sproat for the Reds series and then skip Gasser's next turn in the order.

However, as things currently stand, it feels like the most likely scenario is that the Brewers will keep Gasser and Sproat in the rotation alongside Woody, Miz, and Harrison. While that may not necessarily build the Brewers' best possible rotation at the current moment, the success Drohan showed in the 'pen earlier this year might ultimately work against him keeping his rotation spot in the near future. Drohan, Sproat, and Woody may end up starting the series in Cincinnati, which, assuming Gasser remains on the roster during that time, would give the Brewers a short-handed 'pen, but Drohan could certainly be added to the bullpen before his next start would arrive.

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