Brandon Woodruff Bombshell: Brewers Star Not Ruled Out for 2026 Return

Could the Milwaukee Brewers somwhow see Brandon Woodruff on the mound again this season?

Shockingly, the answer isn't a guaranteed no.

Woodruff hasn't pitched in a game since July 4. He suffered a shoulder injury that was expected to not only end his 2026 season, but likely the entire 2027 campaign as well. It was shared that he is dealing with an anterior shoulder capsule injury. In July, the expectation was that Woodruff would need to undergo surgery to correct the issue. He suffered an anterior shoulder capsule injury back in 2023, which ended his season early and forced him to miss the entire 2024 season as well, after undergoing surgery.

It was shared back in July that the expectation was that Woodruff would undergo surgery again. At the time, he made it clear that this wasn't a retirement announcement. On Saturday, Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel spoke to Woodruff and dropped a bombshell report. Woodruff didn't end up needing surgery and will actually begin a throwing progression this upcoming week.

"Just talked with Brandon Woodruff, who in a twist didn’t need surgery and will start throwing progression Wed. As he exhausted his options pre-surgery, 4-week scan showed unexpected healing, so he went to Dr. Meister, who said surgery was not recommended. 'I’m thankful,' he said," Hogg wrote. "The plan is for Woodruff to have a throwing progression for 5 weeks, then reevaluate. He has no expectations/timetable after that. The plan was to get surgery when he left Milwaukee in late July, he reiterated, before scans in early August and Meister’s opinion changed things."

Brandon Woodruff Not Ruled Out For 2026

Jul 4, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Brandon Woodruff (53) throws against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the first inning at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Woah.

That certainly wasn't expected, to say the least. Again, when Woodruff went down, there was a lot of chatter that we could've seen the last of the 33-year-old on a big league mound. He stopped that talk when he announced his injury update when surgery was on the table. He made it clear he wanted to pitch again, but no one could've predicted an update like this.

Now, he's not completely ruled out for the 2026 season. Brewers manager Pat Murphy was asked on Saturday if we could see Woodruff again and said "it's possible," while acknowledging that it doesn't mean that Woodruff is likely to return this season, as shared by Hogg.

The Brewers have the best starting rotation in baseball. If Woodruff returns this season and can look like himself, that would make the club better. But, arguably more importantly, this is extremely positive for the 2027 season. Again, back in July, Woodruff was scheduled to head in for surgery. If he underwent surgery, that would've more likely than not knocked him out for 2027 as well. Now, he's not even fully guaranteed to miss the rest of the 2026 season.

It's not often you see injury updates like this, that's for sure.

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