Brewers Manager Gives Long-Awaited Brandon Woodruff Return News

The Milwaukee Brewers are about to get a whole lot better thanks to Brandon Woodruff.

Mar 31, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Brandon Woodruff (53) delivers a pitch against the Tampa Bay Rays in the fourth inning at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Michael McLoone-Imagn Images | Michael McLoone-Imagn Images

Over the last few weeks, there have been a handful of updates around Milwaukee Brewers hurler Brandon Woodruff as the club waits for the All-Star to return.

Woodruff hasn't pitched in a big league game since April 30, but his time is coming. In fact, Brewers manager Pat Murphy seemingly confirmed that his next outing will be in the majors after making a minor league rehab start on Tuesday night. MLB.com's Adam McCalvy shared on X that Murphy said Woodruff will return "soon" and that "soon" means his next start.

"Brandon Woodruff’s fastball sat 90-92 mph in his High-A start last night and will rejoin the rotation 'soon,' according to Pat Murphy," McCalvy wrote. "Does that mean his next start will be with the big league club? 'Yeah, that’s what ‘soon’ means,' Murphy said."

Brandon Woodruff Is Just About To Return

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

Brandon Woodruff’s fastball sat 90-92 mph in his High-A start last night and will rejoin the rotation “soon,” according to Pat Murphy.

Does that mean his next start will be with the big league club?

“Yeah, that’s what ‘soon’ means,” Murphy said.

— Adam McCalvy (@AdamMcCalvy) June 17, 2026

This past weekend, Murphy made a similar point and said that he thought Woodruff would be ready to go after one more rehab outing. The fact that he said the same thing on Wednesday after Woodruff tossed 82 pitches and sat 90-92 miles per hour with his fastball is a clear sign that there wasn't some sort of overt setback to knock Woodruff out for more time.

Last year, Woodruff was very unlucky in his minor league rehab assignments. There were two different times when he had unlucky setbacks at the buzzer just before returning. As of writing, Woodruff is healthy and seemingly on his way back to the majors. The club hasn't announced when that will be. Right now, the Brewers have announced their pitching probables up until Sunday against the Atlanta Braves with Robert Gasser expected to get the ball.

If Woodruff is going to return in his next start, a day to circle on the calendar would be Monday, June 22, against the Cincinnati Reds. Again, the Brewers have announced pitchers through Sunday. Murphy also made it clear that the current expectation is that Woodruff will return. So, if that's really the case, the next day on the schedule without a scheduled starter is Monday.

Before he got hurt, he had a 2.33 ERA in 19 1/3 innings pitched across his final four starts before landing on the shelf. If that version of Woodruff returns, it's over in the National League Central. It's hard to believe any team is going to catch the Brewers anyway. But if Woodruff returns and looks like a star, it'll be even more difficult for one of the rivals.