The Cubs are expected to place Brandon Woodruff on the 15-day injured list
Brandon Woodruff left Saturday’s start in the fourth inning after throwing just 61 pitches, facing a steep decline since the start of the game. Afterward, Brewers manager Pat Murphy said Woodruff could be placed on the 15-day disabled list.
Woodruff will undergo tests to determine how bad the shoulder is, but the initial diagnosis is “it’s kind of the same thing he had before,” Murphy told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Curt Hogg and other reporters.It’s in the same place, in the same place. That tumor is growing. You have that tumor on the labrum there and that tumor is growing, it’s burning.”
Woodruff had surgery on that torn labrum back in September 2023, and that rehabilitation process and a few setbacks kept Woodruff out of the big league bat until July 2025. He then threw 64 2/3 innings of 3.20 ERA ball over 12 starts before lat straining started off the rightyline.
After accepting a one-year, $22.025MM offer to return to the Brewers, Woodruff has again dealt with injuries in the IL’s past this season. Considered shoulder inflammation or a “dead arm” at the time, Woodruff underwent minor surgery in early May to drain some fluid and remove a tumor that was causing inflammation outside of his right shoulder joint.
Saturday’s outing was Woodruff’s third start since being placed on the injured list, and he will now miss more time. Reoccurrence is not surprising, as Murphy said Dr. Keith Meister (who performed the surgery in May) informed Woodruff that “this will happen again” about swelling.
As one might expect, Woodruff told Hogg and company that “it’s a bit frustrating to deal with this,” as the right-hander looks to stay healthy and contribute to a division-leading Brewers team.It’s the nature of my throwing shoulder now. It seems to be coming in waves now….I’m in a good place mentally too. I know what is in front of me. I know what I’m facing. If I can avoid other things, it’s just to say, ‘Go back to the field and jump, help them win.’ “
The fact that Woodruff has always been a successful starter certainly adds to the frustration of both player and team. Even after allowing three runs in yesterday’s injury-shortened outing, Woodruff still has a 2.98 ERA, a 27% strikeout rate, and a 5.7% walk rate over 45 1/3 innings this season. His 3.64 SIERA mirrors Woodruff’s luckier .207 BABIP, yet it’s clear that Woodruff still has a lot left in the tank at age 33, provided he’s healthy enough to take the mound.
It remains to be seen whether another minor surgery may be necessary, but using Woodruff’s previous IL stint as a solid blueprint, another seven-week IL stint could keep Woodruff out until the end of August. Assuming this is the case, the question then becomes whether Woodruff can stay healthy for the length of Milwaukee’s playoff run, or how the fluid nature of postseason assignments might affect Woodruff’s arm if he needs to manage his workload.
Milwaukee has the second-best record in baseball (54-33), and the Brewers hold a six-game lead over the Cubs for first place in the NL Central. The team was able to achieve this success despite a significant injury to throw without Woodruff’s problems, as Quinn Priester lost the season due to thoracic outlet syndrome, and both Logan Henderson again Coleman Crow they are currently on IL for 15 days. Henderson and Crow are both on rehabs and Henderson is likely to be started during the week, so the Brew Crew at least has someone ready to fill in for Woodruff.
In the bigger picture, Woodruff’s situation makes it more likely that Milwaukee will look to add some rotation help before the deadline. (Earlier this week, I explored this possibility in a Brewers trade deadline preview clip for MLBTR subscribers.) Jacob Misiorowski again Kyle Harrison project as the top two starters in the playoff series, but since Woodruff is not a sure thing to be healthy, it makes sense that Milwaukee would want a more experienced arm than in-house options like Henderson, Brandon Sproator Shane Drohan. The Brewers have little major league depth to explore any number of trade candidates, whether that’s the innings-eating type or more of a top ace to pair with Misiorowski.
