What Brewers' rotation should look like after Brandon Woodruff's return from IL

Despite entering the season with plenty of questions surrounding lack of experience in the starting rotation, the Milwaukee Brewers' starters did far more than simply hold their own in May. The group led all of baseball with a 2.48 ERA and 4.6 fWAR and established itself as the league's most productive rotation for the month, all without veteran Brandon Woodruff, who last appeared in a game on April 30 before landing on the IL with a "dead arm".

Last month, Jacob Misiorowski (six starts) and Kyle Harrison (five starts) garnered much of the attention with their dominant performances, but the Brewers also had contributions from Brandon Sproat (five starts), Logan Henderson (four starts), Coleman Crow (two starts), Chad Patrick (two starts), and Robert Gasser (two starts). Since the calendar flipped to June, Shane Drohan has also joined the rotation and made two starts for the banged-up Brewers.

Of that group, Sproat faces the most scrutiny, owning a 6.17 ERA through his first 12 appearances with the Brewers. Manager Pat Murphy has also publicly voiced displeasure with Sproat's inability to work deep into games, as only one of his last six starts has extended beyond the five-inning mark. As a result, Sproat enters his start in Las Vegas tonight with more uncertainty surrounding his role than any other member of Milwaukee's rotation. One possible solution for Sproat if things don't improve quickly could be a temporary move to the bullpen -- something the Brewers have often done with starting pitchers at the beginning of their careers.

Such a move could become even more likely once Woodruff is ready to return. Big Woo made his first rehab appearance in the Arizona Complex League last night, and while the results weren't great -- three earned runs in 3.2 innings -- Woody did throw 68 pitches and reached 93 mph on the radar gun, both of which are encouraging signs. The Brewers believe their veteran right-hander will be back in the rotation before the end of the month, raising questions about how the rest of the starting staff will be impacted.

Brewers should use Brandon Woodruff's upcoming return to the rotation as an opportunity to modify Brandon Sproat's role

Whenever Woodruff is ready to return, Milwaukee's projected rotation will feature him alongside Misiorowski and Harrison as clear locks. Henderson, who is currently on the injured list with a back issue, also appears to have a rotation spot waiting for him once he is healthy enough to return, which sounds like it won't be until early July. In the meantime, the Brewers still have two rotation spots to sort through if they do elect to modify Sproat's role.

One possibility for filling those two openings is sticking with Drohan and Crow. Drohan has been solid in his two June starts, covering a total of 10.1 innings and allowing five earned runs despite the latter of his two appearances coming in the hitter-friendly Coors Field. He's struck out nine batters across the two starts, and his deep arsenal of pitches makes it likely Drohan will continue starting games in the future.

Meanwhile, Crow's young MLB career was off to a strong start through his first three starts, with the right-hander holding a 3.14 ERA to prove it, but the rookie suffered his first poor outing against the San Francisco Giants last week. Crow allowed six runs on nine hits in just 2.1 innings and his ERA ballooned to 5.94. He bounced back with two strong innings in relief during last night's game against the Athletics, and remains an intriguing starting option for the Brew Crew.

Another option is the southpaw Gasser, who has had a shaky start to the 2026 campaign. Playing in the hitters' paradise of Las Vegas Ballpark last night was no help, but Gasser has allowed 13 earned runs in 18.1 innings pitched this year. He showed signs of encouragement in a five-inning start against the Giants, during which he only allowed one earned run, but the young left-hander has more to prove before he's considered a rotation regular.

Therefore, once Woody returns to the rotation, hopefully before the end of the month, the quintet of Misiorowski, Harrison, Woodruff, Drohan, and Crow may represent Milwaukee's most logical rotation alignment in the short term, at least until Henderson is healthy enough to return. Whether that is ultimately how things unfold remains to be seen, but regardless Woodruff's anticipated return is poised to trigger a shakeup in the rotation.

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