Brewers Send Veteran Down, Officially Bring Back Brandon Woodruff

The Milwaukee Brewers are getting the All-Star starter back into the fold.

Apr 6, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Brandon Woodruff (53) delivers a pitch during the second inning against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images | Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images

The Milwaukee Brewers will kick off a three-game series against the Cincinnati Reds on Monday night and there is no more wiggle room: Brandon Woodruff is back.

Woodruff hasn't made a start in the majors since April 30 but he will return to the mound on Monday night at Great American Ball Park. It's been a long time coming with plenty of updates along the way. The expectation over the last few days has been that Woodruff would return on Monday and now the news has been made official. In the process, the Brewers also announced that veteran reliever Drew Rom was optioned to Triple-A Nashville as a result.

Today's transactions pic.twitter.com/W4zlZ9fAGL

— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) June 22, 2026

The Brewers Sent Drew Rom Down

Feb 23, 2026; Peoria, Arizona, USA; Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Drew Rom (63) delivers to the plate against the San Diego Padres at Peoria Sports Complex. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Rom actually has been very solid since getting promoted to the big league club. He made his first major league appearance in almost three years when he took the mound for Milwaukee on June 6. Rom has pitched in four games for Milwaukee so far this season and has a 3.38 ERA in 5 1/3 innings pitched. Two of his four appearances have been scoreless. He allowed one run apiece in his other two appearances. Overall, he has a 10-to-4 strikeout-to-walk ratio for the Brewers and should be brought back up to the majors at some point over the course of the rest of the season.

Back in 2023 — when Rom last pitched in the majors — his fastball was averaging 89.5 miles per hour. In his four outings with the Brewers, he showed clear progress and averaged 92.4 miles per hour on his fastball and had an expected .191 batting average against him. He also had a 38.5 percent strikeout rate and a 41.9 whiff rate in his brief stint in the majors with the Brewers. That's something to work with. Plus, he's just 26 years old. Milwaukee knows how to get the most out of its pitchers. Rom seems to be another potential example.

Now, he'll have a chance to work his way back up in Triple-A. In response, the Brewers are getting one of the franchise's best pitchers in recent memory back into the mix. The Brewers already are in first place in the division at 46-29. Now, they're about to get even better on Monday night. Woodruff is back and Milwaukee fans should be very happy right now. Milwaukee has the third-best rotation ERA in the league at 3.37. Now, the rotation is getting more dangerous.