Brewers Catch Break Despite Brandon Woodruff IL Stint

The Milwaukee Brewers officially will be without the services of All-Star starting pitcher Brandon Woodruff for at least 15 days.

After exiting his start early on Thursday against the Arizona Diamondbacks, Woodruff was officially placed on the 15-Day Injured List on Friday. Milwaukee took to X to announce the move and also shared that right-handed pitcher Easton McGee has been promoted in his place.

Today's transactions pic.twitter.com/5Xyo1f8YpV
— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) May 1, 2026

The Brewers Got Good News Despite Brandon Woodruff Going On The IL

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

Woodruff was pulled from his start on Thursday after just 1 1/3 innings pitched. His velocity showed a significant decline from an average fastball of 92.5 miles per hour earlier in the season to 85.4 miles per hour on Thursday. With Woodruff now on the Injured List, it was shared that his official diagnosis is right shoulder inflammation.

After it was shared that Woodruff would be going on the Injured List, the veteran starter opened up about the injury while speaking to the media.

"Just shoulder inflammation," Woodruff said. "I went out yesterday and honestly felt good. Nothing alarmed me. Went out for my start and the ball just wasn't coming out so, little inflammation in there from the image but after talking to our staff ... should be pretty minimum stint here. Which is good news. All the news we got back was really good. Nothing structurally wrong from the surgery or anything like that. All good on that front. Just a little bit of inflammation popped up on me. Just got to get it taken care of. I should be throwing here pretty soon."

All things considered, good news for Brandon Woodruff: pic.twitter.com/eGoRkEFDdN
— Todd Rosiak (@Todd_Rosiak) May 1, 2026

You never want to see someone land on the Injured List, but after the concerning velocity dip on Thursday, the fact that he said that he thinks it will be close to a minimum stay is about as positive as you could hope for.

As of right now, it doesn't sound like there are any long-term concerns. The Brewers have the depth to get through this period over the next few weeks. If Woodruff is able to return in just about two weeks, that would be a win. If not, then the club will need to take another look at the rotation. But again, this is positive. It could've been far worse than a bit of inflammation and a couple of weeks on the Injured List.

Of course, he's not of the woods yet. Hopefully, there aren't any setbacks or anything of that nature. But, you can let out a sigh of relief, Brewers fans.

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