Minor League Baseball

Milwaukee Brewers Stalwart Continues Along the Rehab Trail With So-So Results

Brandon Woodruff took the loss in his appearance for High-A Wisconsin on Friday,
Jami Leabow|
Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Brandon Woodruff (53) throws in the bullpen during spring training workouts on Tuesday, February 18, 2025, at American Family Fields in Phoenix, Ariz.
Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Brandon Woodruff (53) throws in the bullpen during spring training workouts on Tuesday, February 18, 2025, at American Family Fields in Phoenix, Ariz. | Dave Kallmann / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Milwaukee Brewers

Milwaukee Brewers right-hander Brandon Woodruff continued his road along the rehabilitation trail on Friday, this time for the High-A Wisconsin Timber Rattlers.

The results might not have been as good as he hoped on paper, but each outing builds upon the last one.

Woodruff threw the first four innings in the first game of a split doubleheader on Friday and took the 8-4 loss to the Lansing Lugnuts (Athletics affiliate). He gave up three earned runs on six hits and three walks, striking out three.

He threw 68 pitches – 44 of them for strikes – and induced three groundouts.

It was the second rehab start for the veteran right-hander. Last Saturday, he pitched for the Triple-A Nashville Sounds against the Memphis Redbirds (St. Louis Cardinals affiliate). And while he didn’t figure in the decision in the Sounds’ 6-2 win, he kept the team in the game.

He pitched 3.2 innings and struck out five in his first start in a non-spring training game since September 2023. He gave up two runs on four walks and two strikeouts.

Woodruff, 32, is continuing his comeback from surgery on the anterior capsule of his throwing shoulder, which took place at the end of 2023. He has a 46-26 career record with a 3.10 ERA. He's a two-time All-Star who finished fifth in the National League Cy Young voting in 2021.

Earlier, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reported that Woodruff wouldn’t be making just one or two rehab starts. Instead, it could take a month for him to be ready to rejoin the Brewers, an alternating mix of game action and treatment.

The goal in his upcoming rehab starts will be to increase his innings per game.

The Brewers have been devastated by injuries to the pitching staff in the early going. They have at least 10 pitchers on the injured list, including Aaron Ashby, DL Hall, Aaron Civale, Tobias Myers and Nestor Cortes have required trips to the injured list.

The Brewers entered play Friday with a 10-9 mark, one game behind the Chicago Cubs in the National League Central.

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Jami Leabow
JAMI LEABOW

Jami Leabow is the managing editor of Minor League Baseball on SI. Her love for the game began when her parents bought season tickets to the then-California Angels.

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