Brewers' Brandon Woodruff Provides Murky Injury Update on Himself

The Milwaukee Brewers aren't typically the team to bet big on someone, but right-handed pitcher Brandon Woodruff is proving to be the exception.

Woodruff, the two-time All-Star, accepted the Brewers' qualifying offer this offseason, after he'd already received a $10 million buyout on a mutual option. He'll be the highest-paid pitcher the Brewers have ever had for a single season, and he'll look to anchor the rotation after Milwaukee traded away ace Freddy Peralta.

That would be a lot of pressure for any pitcher, but there's an added layer of uncertainty when it comes to Woodruff, who made just 12 starts last year after returning from the shoulder surgery that cost him all of 2024, then hit the injured list in September with a lat strain that wound up ending his year.

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Woodruff's guiding light is being healthy for October

After throwing in a simulated game in Arizona at Brewers camp on Monday, Woodruff provided an update on his offseason recovery and build-up process, and seemed to at least tacitly indicate that being ready by opening day was in doubt.

“It’s up in the air right now,” Woodruff told Adam McCalvy of MLB.com. “I know that term’s used a lot. There’s one goal I have this year and that’s to be healthy. I want to be available at the end of the year when it matters most. What that looks like early on, it could look a little bit different. Nothing’s set in concrete, though.”

If Woodruff misses time, however, it seems unlikely he would start the season more than a start or two behind his rotation mates. His guiding light, it seems, will be to do whatever is required to sustain his body through a 162-game season.

“I try to compare where I was at this point last year compared to now and it’s two totally different things, which is exciting for me,” Woodruff told McCalvy. “As you get older you learn your body better and realize what things are important to get ready for a season and what’s not. That’s where I’m at. I’m trying to get ready for a full, healthy season.”

There was no doubt the Brewers missed Woodruff last October, but there's also pressure on the 33-year-old to carry his team back to October without Peralta. Milwaukee will have to strike a delicate balancing act with his workload this year.

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