Brandon Woodruff Injury Puts Brewers in Precarious Position in NL Central

This is not a good sign for the Brewers.

Apr 30, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Brandon Woodruff (53) walks off the field after an injury in the second inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images | Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

The Milwaukee Brewers picked up an important win on Thursday over the Arizona Diamondbacks to improve to 16-14 on the 2026 season. However, their resounding win was overshadowed by Brandon Woodruff's injury.

The veteran right-hander left his start early due to diminished velocity on Thursday after just 1 1/3 innings. The Brewers are now waiting for the results of Woodruff's MRI to know if there is an injury.

It appears as though Woodruff may ultimately be placed on the injured list, which doesn't bode well for him or Milwaukee, considering his recent injury history and the fact that the Brewers are already without Quinn Priester. Brewers' director of media relations Mike Vassallo pointed out who the National League Central is very competitive right now. However, that could work against the Brewers with Woodruff potentially missing time.

Brewers may be in trouble

Apr 30, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Brandon Woodruff (53) throws a pitch in the first inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images | Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

The Brewers are in fourth place in the NL Central entering the month of May. They are just 3 1/2 games back of the first place Cincinnati Reds, but every team in the division has a record of at least .500 or better.

The Brewers have the Cincinnati Reds, Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals standing in front of them in the NL Central, and the Pittsburgh Pirates, who are off to a better start than last year, are just one game behind him.

Depending on how long Woodruff is out, if he ultimately does miss time, the Brewers could be in trouble. Without their ace leading the rotation, they could slip further in the standings and lose ground on the Reds, Cubs and Cardinals.

The best option they have in their rotation right now is Jacob Misiorowski, so they will need him to step up in the potential absence of Woodruff. They also will need big contributions from Priester when he returns from the injured list.

This is ultimately where the loss of Jose Quintana hurts the Brewers. They have a lot of depth in the system, but the quality isn't quite there, so they're going to need their other starters to pick up the slack if Woodruff does indeed miss time.

It will be interesting to see what ultimately happens and if Woodruff is able to avoid the injured list. Diminished velocity is never a good sign for a pitcher, so there is a chance that he could be dealing with a dead arm early on this season.