Brandon Woodruff Watch Takes Another Turn for Brewers

The Milwaukee Brewers star is throwing and is trending in the right direction.

Jun 14, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Brandon Woodruff (53) during the game against the Philadelphia Phillies at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

When Brandon Woodruff landed on the Injured List back in July, there was real fear that the Milwaukee Brewers were not going to see him again for a long time.

Woodruff suffered an anterior shoulder capsule injury that was initially expected to require surgery to correct. That was the back-breaking news, at the time. Woodruff missed the entire 2024 season after undergoing surgery to repair an anterior shoulder capsule injury that cut his 2023 season short. It seemed like Woodruff was trending in that direction again. In August, things changed, though. Woodruff shared that surgery wasn't needed, and all of a sudden he wasn't fully ruled out for the 2026 season any longer. On Tuesday, MLB.com's Adam McCalvy dropped the lastest update about Woodruff and shared that he's throwing up to 105 feet right now and that he will be evaluated at the end of September to see if he's ready to throw off a mound.

"Latest from the Brewers on Brandon Woodruff: He’s throwing out to 105 feet. The plan is to 're-evaluate for mound readiness at the end of September. Return TBD,'" McCalvy wrote on X.

Brandon Woodruff Watch Continues

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

At the end of the day, any update for Woodruff that has him throwing and not requiring surgery is great news for Milwaukee. At this rate, he's still a ways away from helping the Brewers on the mound this season. He has to continue to progress and start tossing off a mound again. Then, continue to build up from there. The playoffs are going to begin around baseball on Sep. 29 with the first round kicking off. Now, of course, the Brewers are in line for a bye. That doesn't hurt. The National League Division Series will begin on Saturday, Oct. 3.

If all goes well and Woodruff looks good at the end of September and starts throwing off a mound, he'll still have hurdles to get through before being ready for game action. If the Brewers were to advance, the National League Championship Series would begin on Oct. 11. Then, to take it a step further, the World Series will begin on Oct. 23. If Woodruff is going to return this season, that would likely mean that Milwaukee needs to go on a deep playoff run.

How awesome would that be, though? Imagine if the Brewers finally got over the hump and made it to the World Series and then got a homegrown star back just in time for the biggest series in franchise history? It would be a storybook end to the season. But there's a lot that needs to go right before that could even be a reality.