Brewers' Brandon Woodruff Sending Positive Signals With 17 Games to Go

Back in July, it appeared as though the Milwaukee Brewers lost two-time All-Star Brandon Woodruff for the season, and for an extended period beyond that for the second time in three years.

Fortunately, things changed.

Back in July, Woodruff hurt his shoulder again and things were bleak. Back in 2023, he suffered an anterior shoulder capsule injury that ended his season and knocked him out for the 2024 campaign. Woodruff returned in 2025 and pitched in 12 games.

In July, it was shared that he suffered another anterior shoulder capsule injury and the expectation was that he would need surgery again. So, naturally, the expectation was that he would be out for a long time. But Milwaukee got a lifeline in August. Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel spoke to Woodruff and the veteran hurler shared that surgery ended up not being necessary and that he was scheduled to actually start a throwing progression shortly afterward.

Brandon Woodruff Update

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

That was towards the end of August. So, where is he at now? MLB.com's Adam McCalvy dropped a promising, albeit brief update on Woodruff on Monday and shared that the righty will begin his third week of a five-week throwing program on Wednesday.

"Woodruff will begin Week 3 of a five-week throwing program on Wednesday," McCalvy wrote on X.

That's very intriguing, to say the least. So, Woodruff will start the third week of the program on Wednesday. So, that would mean that the fourth week would kick off around Sep. 16. The fifth week would begin around Sep. 23. The regular season will come to a close on Sep. 27.

Then, Milwaukee, significantly more likely than not, will have a bye in the first round of the playoffs before facing off against one of the Wild Card teams in the National League Division Series if they land the No. 1 seed in the playoffs. If the Brewers were to land the No. 2 seed, then they would face either a Wild Card team, or the No. 3 division winner.

It's unclear right now if Woodruff will actually be able to return this season. But he's cutting it close, it seems. Most importantly, the fact that Woodruff didn't need to undergo surgery, means that he won't miss the 2027 season, barring another injury. There was real fear when Woodruff went down that Brewers fans could've seen the last of Woodruff. But that doesn't appear to be the case. It may not even be the case for the 2026 season in general.

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