Brewers declaring victory after Brandon Woodruff’s return to mound could be a mistake

Whenever any pitcher has been dealing with a long-term injury like Milwaukee Brewers starter Brandon Woodruff has been, getting back on the field is the first step. A guy can check all the boxes he wants in the doctor's office or in the training room, but the real test is getting on the mound against real hitters and seeing how things look.

Woodruff took that very step this week when he faced Padres minor league hitters and the chorus of praise was very loud and very quick. The Brewers' rotation anchor talked about feeling good facing hitters again and even hilariously complained that the umpire was squeezing him. Observers also noted that Woodruff's breaking stuff looked sharp as well and the positive spin has been rather rampant.

However, a closer look at exactly what transpired was more mixed news. No one should care that much about Woodruff's first outing back either way, but fans may want to pump the brakes on declaring that he is officially himself again.

Brandon Woodruff's return for Brewers came with a mix of optimism and concern

The best news that came from Woodruff's outing is that he feels healthy and no one should take that away from him. Shoulder surgeries like Woodruff's are incredibly difficult to bounce back from and that his stuff even approached looking like a big league pitcher right off the rip is great.

However, there are still obstacles to overcome. Some were excited that his velocity is trending up over his previous sessions, Woodruff still only hit 94 mph with his fastball and he probably needs to be throwing harder than that before returning. There is also the small matter of the fact that the Padres minor leaguers tagged Woodruff for three runs on three hits including a homer.

Will Woodruff pitch early in 2025 for the Brewers? That is almost a certainty barring a disastrous setback. However, getting back on the mound again is only the first step. Now we need to see how he recovers from that outing and if he can build upon it. That may seem like a foregone conclusion for some, but shoulder injuries are no joke and Woodruff is not out of the woods yet.

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