Brewers' veteran Brandon Woodruff reverses course on season-ending surgery decision

Back on July 18, Milwaukee Brewers' veteran right-hander Brandon Woodruff announced that he was set to undergo season-ending shoulder surgery to repair a new tear in his anterior capsule. The injury resembled the one that caused Woodruff to undergo a major shoulder reconstruction back in the fall of 2023, which resulted in him missing a season and a half's worth of games.

Woodruff, who is now 33 years old, was optimistic about rehabbing from the injury and returning to a big-league mound at some point in the future. However, given the timeline and the fact that Woodruff is playing on a one-year contract (the result of his acceptance of the qualifying offer), it was uncertain whether or not his return would ultimately come in a Brewers uniform.

There is still uncertainty surrounding that return, but as of Saturday morning, the entire situation has been flipped on its head. Woodruff informed reporters, including Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, that after lengthy conversations with Dr. Keith Meister, the surgeon who performed his previous shoulder surgery and was expected to perform his upcoming one as well, he ultimately elected not to undergo surgery and instead will begin a five-week throwing program.

As noted in the report from Hogg above, Woodruff and Meister saw unexpected progress in his shoulder just before he was set to undergo surgery that led them to believe the issue could simply be solved with rehab rather than a procedure.

It's undoubtedly an encouraging update for Woodruff, the Brewers, and the fanbase, but expectations in regard to the veteran right-hander returning before the postseason must be tempered. While it's certainly possible Woody returns before the end of the season, such a reality is unlikely.

Brandon Woodruff elects not to have surgery, set to begin five-week throwing program with slim chances of returning this year

Woodruff has a long way to go before he's ready to return to a big-league mound; he hasn't picked up a ball in over a week. A five-week throwing program puts him on track to potentially return during the final week of the regular season. Five weeks from today is September 26, and the Brewers play their final game of the regular season on September 27. Therefore, Woodruff would essentially only be available for the postseason if he were to return this year.

"It's possible," said Pat Murphy on the prospect of his veteran leader returning to the pitching staff. "We'll do anything we can to have Woody...this season." You can be sure Woodruff himself, who has demonstrated his toughness and mental fortitude time and time again, will also do anything he can to return to the mound this year and cover some innings for the Brew Crew in the postseason.

At the very least, the news offers encouragement that Woodruff could have a normal offseason and pitch during the 2027 campaign, which would not have been the case had he undergone surgery. As previously mentioned, there are contract negotiations that need to take place this offseason for him to be pitching for the Brewers next year, but it's nevertheless good news for the franchise legend who has dealt with plenty of tough injury news throughout his career.

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