Brandon WoodruffThe 2026 season has come to a close, as the Brewers right-hander told CBS 58’s Darius Joseph and other reporters that he will undergo capsule surgery on his throwing shoulder. The recovery timeline should keep Woodruff out of action for at least half of the 2027 season, but the veteran said he doesn’t plan to retire, as he will “attack this facility with a goal in mind to repeat.”
It’s another tough setback for the 33-year-old, who has been one of the best strikers in the sport over the past decade despite suffering multiple injuries over the past four years. Woodruff also had capsule surgery in October 2023 that sidelined him for the entire 2024 season, and another sprained ankle and two sprained elbows hampered his major league rehabilitation in 2025, delaying his return until July 6 of last year.
A lat strain then kept Woodruff out during the Brewers’ postseason run, and the injury bug continued to appear in 2026. Woodruff hasn’t pitched since July 4 in the second of two shoulder-related IL stints this season, both apparently due to discomfort caused by a cyst that formed in his lambruff area. Unfortunately, reports soon surfaced that this latest injury was more serious in nature, and the writing seemed to be on the wall for Woodruff’s season when he was placed on the 60-day injured list last Sunday.
Given this second capsule process, it’s fair to wonder if we may have seen the final pitch of Woodruff’s MLB career. One shouldn’t count out a pitcher who has already shown great reluctance in coming back from multiple injuries, but if a rehab sidelines Woodruff for all of 2027, he’ll be 35 on Opening Day 2028, with just 177 big innings over the 2023-2027 seasons. Since Woodruff posted a 2.80 ERA over those 177 frames, though, he still has something in the tank amid all these health issues.
Woodruff accepted a one-year, $22.025MM qualifying offer from the Brewers last November, opting to return to his long-term team on another short-term deal after his shortened 2026 campaign. After Woodruff’s previous surgery, Milwaukee actually did not buy Woodruff, re-signing him to a two-year, $17.5MM contract through the 2024-25 seasons. The Righties only received $7.5MM in real salary over the two seasons, plus a $10MM buyout of a $20MM combined option for the 2026 season. Woodruff declined his offer last fall, leading to a QO from the Brewers.
Another two-year deal could be on the horizon when Woodruff hits free agency this winter, or perhaps earlier if the Brewers are interested in an extension. The deal will give Woodruff a small amount of guaranteed money in 2027, and a larger portion of the salary in 2028 when he is expected to be ready to start. The Brewers’ salary cap increases the risk of overpaying for Woodruff’s injury-riddled veteran, but he’s also been such a talented and popular figure in Milwaukee baseball history that another reunion between the two sides seems likely.
The biggest short-term issue for the Brewers is how the loss of Woodruff affects their pitching staff. Quinn Priester it was lost again in 2026 due to thoracic outlet surgery, too Kyle Harrison he’s on the 15-day IL with what appears to be forearm tightness, though there’s always the added concern of an arm-related injury. Even if Harrison is able to return in very short order, that leaves the Brew Crew without much of a rotation guarantee beyond Harrison and the ace. Jacob Misiorowski. Logan Henderson again Shane Drohan They are well placed in limited action this season Brandon Sproat again Robert Gasser they’ve struggled, but all six of these first-rounders are out of MLB’s knowledge.
Bringing a veteran starter (or two) into the mix at the trade deadline would give the Brewers another playoff rotation option, and allow the team more flexibility in managing the innings of these young pitchers in preparation for October. Milwaukee’s six-game lead in the NL Central allows some comfort in knowing that another playoff appearance is possible, but the Crew naturally want to take the next step and reach the World Series.
