Brandon Woodruff Next Steps After Brewers Star Exits With Shoulder Injury

The Milwaukee Brewers are at a crossroads in the starting rotation once again with veteran righty Brandon Woodruff.

The two-time All-Star is a long-time superstar in Milwaukee, but he just hasn't had good luck recently. There was a time when he was among the most dominant hurlers in the National League and then injuries came into play and negatively impacted his career. In 2023, Woodruff had a 2.28 ERA in 11 starts before his season was cut short as he underwent right shoulder surgery to repair his anterior capsule. That injury put him on the shelf for the entire 2024 season and the beginning of the 2025 campaign as he rehabbed and worked his way back.

In 2025, Woodruff was able to make 12 starts and looked like himself with a 3.20 ERA in 64 2/3 innings pitched. This season, he has been very good when he has been on the mound, but unfortunately, he is set to land on the Injured List for the second time this season due to a shoulder injury. On April 30, Woodruff faced off against the Arizona Diamondbacks and saw a sudden drop in velocity to an average of 85.4 miles per hour on his fastball. Before that, his average fastball velocity for the season sat around 92.5. He was placed on the Injured List with some shoulder inflammation and eventually had a procedure to address a cyst in his shoulder as well. He returned on June 22 and looked good over the last few weeks, but had a similar thing happen on Saturday against the Diamondbacks again and was removed.

The Brewers Got More Bad News

Jun 28, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Brandon Woodruff (53) throws a pitch during the first inning against the Chicago Cubs at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

USA Today's Bob Nightengale reported that Woodruff will be placed on the Injured List with an inflamed labrum. On top of this, he will meet with orthopedic surgeon Keith Meister to see what exactly his next steps are now.

"Woodruff will be examined by doctors, including orthopedic surgeon Keith Meister, in the next few days to determine the next steps," Nightengale wrote.

"It’s kind of the life of my shoulder, in a sense," Woodruff said, as transcribed by Nightengale. "It’s one of those things where you hope that it would hold on until you get to the end of the year and then you reassess and kind of make some adjustments, but kind of just popped up on me again here.’’

Unfortunately, it's more bad luck for a guy who has been dealt a tough hand over and over with the club over the last few years. When healthy, he has been amazing for the Brewers. This season has been a massive example of that. But it's hard to overcome these shoulder injuries. Woodruff has done so a few times already, but everything is up in the air right now, to say the least.

As of right now, we wait to see what happens when Woodruff meets with Meister. If surgery isn't needed and it is the same injury he just battled through, maybe we could see him in roughly six weeks, like last time. If surgery is needed, it could be longer than that, although that is speculation. Just more bad news.

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