Brewers Seemingly Hit Jackpot With Brandon Woodruff's Shoulder Rehab

Is it really this simple for the veteran?

Apr 30, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Brandon Woodruff (53) walks off the field after an injury in the second inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images | Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

It was easy to assume the worst for Brandon Woodruff when the veteran Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher left his April 30 start with a shoulder injury.

Woodruff, who missed all of 2024 and significant time the year before and after while recovering from shoulder surgery, came out of his start against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the second inning. It was obvious that something was wrong, as his fastball velocity was down seven mph on average from his yearly standard.

After traveling to see specialist Keith Meister, who performed Woodruff's 2023 surgery, the concern level seemed to drop quite a bit. The 33-year-old remained on the 15-day injured list as of Thursday, but it doesn't seem as if he'll need much more than that 15-day window after the date of the original injury.

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Brewers don't seem to think Woodruff will need rehab start

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

According to a Wednesday report from Adam McCalvy of MLB.com, the Brewers' plan is for Woodruff to resume throwing on Saturday. And manager Pat Murphy expressed his belief that the right-hander would only need a series of bullpens, not a rehab assignment, before returning to the rotation.

“We don’t think it’ll be too awfully long,” Murphy said, per McCalvy.

At this stage of Woodruff's career, rehab starts might not be in the cards. He's rarely struggled to get outs when he's been healthy enough to toe the slab, and there can only be so many pitches left in the tank, long-term.

Woodruff pitched to a 2-1 record and a 3.60 ERA in his first six starts of the season, spanning 30 innings. His strikeouts are down a bit from last year, when he looked like an ace before hitting the injured list with an untimely oblique strain in September, but his WHIP remains just above one.

Because he accepted the $22 million qualifying offer, Woodruff is the highest-paid pitcher the Brewers have ever had for a single season. They've built a strong rotation around him, but it's going to be a big lift if he can avoid more injury scares and give them 20 more starts this year.