Brewers provide optimistic timeline for Brandon Woodruff's return to rotation

When Brandon Woodruff's fastball velocity dipped nearly seven miles per hour from his season average at the beginning of his most recent start against the Arizona Diamondbacks, no one really knew what to make of the sudden change. Woodruff insisted throughout the start, which ended up lasting just four outs, that he wasn't hurt, but rather was simply experiencing a "dead arm," which can happen from time to time.

That diagnosis held true after Woodruff underwent testing on his arm, and no structural damage was revealed. However, while no long-term concerns popped up, there was a bit of inflammation in Woody's right shoulder, which landed the veteran starter on the 15-day IL.

Amid the Brewers' two city road trip to Washington D.C. and St. Louis, reports surfaced that Woodruff was headed to Dallas to meet with Dr. Keith Meister, who performed his shoulder reconstruction back in 2023, to double-check that everything was okay in his right arm. While that development was slightly worrisome for Brewers fans at the time, MLB.com Brewers beat reporter Adam McCalvy revealed excellent news in regard to Woodruff on the social media platform X before today's game against the Cardinals.

Brandon Woodruff not exepcted to have lengthy stay on injured list after "dead arm" incident

As McCalvy notes in the post above, Woodruff did undergo a minor procedure with Dr. Meister, but it's not expected to have any long-term effects. In fact, Woodruff could be back to throwing as early as this weekend.

Assuming manager Pat Murphy's assessment of the situation, which involves Woody only needing a few bullpen sessions before rejoining the rotation, holds true, the 2x All-Star right-hander could be back on the active roster before the end of the month. Woody was officially placed on the 15-day IL on May 1, so he can't rejoin the roster before May 16, but it's likely he will need a bit more time than that anyways.

Logan Henderson, who has assumed Woodruff's spot in the rotation for the time being, is scheduled to throw again this coming Sunday against the New York Yankees. Assuming regular rest, Henderson's next start would actually land on May 16, so perhaps the following time through the rotation is when Brewers fans can expect Woody back on the starting staff.

Notably, that spot in the rotation would come up once again when the Brewers kick off their three-game Memorial Day Weekend series against the Los Angeles Dodgers at American Family Field. Could Woodruff be on the bump in the Friday night series opener on May 22? It's possible, but first the Brewers must see how he responds to his upcoming bullpen sessions.

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