Brewers Finally Have Return In Sight for Brandon Woodruff

The Milwaukee Brewers are about to get a big piece back in the near future.

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 Milwaukee Brewers are so close to getting All-Star hurler Brandon Woodruff back on the mound in the majors.

He has been out for a while at this point. Woodruff hasn't started a big league game since April 30 due to a shoulder inflammation that got him placed on the Injured List. He's been working his way back. There was even a point earlier in the week when MLB.com's Adam McCalvy reported that he could be an option for the club's upcoming series against the Cleveland Guardians, which will begin on Tuesday. Unfortunately, he won't be back for the Guardians series, but it shouldn't be too long after that.

On Sunday, Brewers manager Pat Murphy spoke to The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal and said that Woodruff will make one more minor league rehab start before coming back.

"I think Woody is pretty close," Murphy said. "He'll make another outing just to get his pitch count up. I think he'll be back with us after that."

Milwaukee @Brewers Manager Pat Murphy joins @Ken_Rosenthal to talk about what he's seen from SP Shane Drohan so far, as well as update the status of a couple of his top arms that are recovering from injury. pic.twitter.com/rrfqAbUINU

— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) June 13, 2026

MLB.com currently has Woodruff expected to "tentatively" pitch down in the minors on June 16. If this date were to hold, then that would mean that Woodruff would be back in the majors in just about one week just after July 20, barring a setback.

This is what the Brewers need right now. Woodruff was just starting to find his footing before he landed on the Injured List. In his final four starts before landing on the shelf, he had a 2.33 ERA in 19 1/3 innings pitched.

The Brewers need that production back right now, especially because of the fact that Quinn Priester, Logan Henderson, and Coleman Crow are all on the Injured List as well right now. Even if the Brewers don't get the version of Woodruff that had a 2.33 ERA in his final four starts, he will be an upgrade for a club that simply needs innings right now. Milwaukee needs a boost and it sounds like Woodruff may finally be approaching his return.

When he gets back, the Brewers will have him, Jacob Misiorowski, and Kyle Harrison at the top of the rotation. Brandon Sproat and Shane Drohan will likely fill the other two spots for the foreseeable future. Things are starting to come together for Milwaukee. Now, Woodruff just needs to get through one more minor league start healthy and then make it back up to the big leagues.