Brewers' former ace takes important step on his long road back to the majors

The last time Brandon Woodruff pitched for the Milwaukee Brewers was on September 23, 2023. Prior to the injury, Woodruff was not only one of the best pitchers for the Brewers, he was one of the best pitchers in all of baseball. From 2019-2023, Woodruff posted a sub-3.00 ERA across 103 starts for the Crew, while striking out 709 opposing hitters in 595 innings. His importance to the Brewers organization was more than enough for the team to sign him to a two-year deal with the understanding that he would not be able to pitch in one of the contracted years.

Not only did the injury prevent Woodruff from missing the 2023 playoffs and all of the 2024 season, but it also kept him off the Opening Day roster in 2025. However, Woodruff's return is on the horizon, after taking an important step in the rehab process.

Brandon Woodruff looks solid in first rehab start

While the Sounds fell to the Memphis Redbirds, 6-2, Woodruff started with three clean innings and earned two outs in the fourth before being pulled after allowing two earned runs. A leadoff 10-pitch walk in the fourth inning to Jose Barrero started the Redbirds' rally. Barrero, who followed his walk with a steal of second base, eventually scored on an RBI single from Ryan Vilade. Two batters later, after a single from Mike Antico, Gavin Collins scored Vilade on a sacrifice fly, ultimately ending Woodruff's day.

Woodruff showcased all of his pitches, throwing his sinker, changeup, curveball, slider, and of course the four seam fastball. His velocity on the fastball topped out at 95 MPH, which is a great place for Woodruff to be following his shoulder surgery. Additionally, Woodruff's high strikeout ability remains, with five of the 11 outs he recorded coming via the strikeout.

The middle of May is the target to have Big Woo back with the Brewers. As long as everyone stays healthy, Woodruff could join a solid rotation back in the big leagues surrounded by the likes of Freddy Peralta, Jose Quintana, Tobias Myers and hopeefully Nestor Cortes. The Brewers' pitching staff is slowly starting to get back on track, and Woodruff's re-addition to the rotation is nearing, getting Brewers fans excited about the idea of watching one of their favorites toe the rubber once again.