Brandon Woodruff’s long road back has reached the World Series roster. The Brewers included the 33-year-old right-hander for Friday night’s Game 1 against the club’s biggest stage, a turn few would have projected when another right shoulder operation was expected to end his season in August.
Woodruff, Milwaukee’s longest-tenured player, had not pitched in a game for three months. Yet after a shoulder scan showed unexpected improvement late in the summer, he shelved the surgery plan, began throwing again and gave the Brewers enough confidence to make him one of 13 pitchers on their 26-man roster.
Quick facts
- Woodruff is active for the Brewers’ World Series roster after facing hitters Tuesday.
- He threw 23 pitches in a simulated outing and worked at 90-92 mph.
- Milwaukee used 11 of its 13 pitchers while beating San Diego in four NLDS games and sweeping Los Angeles in four NLCS games.
- Woodruff owns a 55-30 record and 3.10 ERA across 790 1/3 innings in nine Major League seasons.
- His 3.10 ERA is the best in Brewers history among pitchers with at least 500 innings.
The decision carried more than the usual roster math. Woodruff’s surgically repaired shoulder remains the central concern, and Milwaukee had been weighing whether MLB would allow a replacement if he suffered another setback. The club’s understanding Thursday was that a substitution request could be rejected because the ailment would be considered preexisting.
President of baseball operations Matt Arnold met with Woodruff face-to-face Thursday as the Friday morning roster deadline approached. Woodruff said his focus was simple: help Milwaukee win, while recognizing the club had to weigh the risk of using a pitcher who had been away from game action.
“Once I began throwing, I wanted to make myself available,” Woodruff said. “I believe in what I can bring, but I also understand I haven’t been in a game for three months. There is plenty for the club to consider.”
His Tuesday session came against the middle of Milwaukee’s own lineup: Jackson Chourio, Brice Turang, William Contreras, Christian Yelich and Jake Bauers. Woodruff said his fastball was mostly in the 90-92 mph range, below the triple-digit peak that once made his four-seamer one of the meaner pitches in the league.
Contreras saw enough in the workout to praise both the stuff and the effort behind the comeback. He stopped short of trying to predict the roster call, but said the clubhouse wanted “Big Woo” with the group.
Woodruff may find another gear under the lights at American Family Field, with more than 42,000 expected for Game 1. The Brewers will still need to learn whether the fastball plays against World Series hitters and whether his shoulder can hold up if a game stretches deep into extra innings, where postseason rules do not place an automatic runner at second base.
Milwaukee had carried 13 pitchers and 13 position players through its first two playoff rounds. Right-hander Chad Patrick and left-hander Kyle Harrison did not appear during the Padres series or the Dodgers sweep, placing them among the arms most directly affected by Woodruff’s return.
For the Brewers, the decision also recognized what Woodruff means beyond a possible inning or two. Since debuting in 2017, he has made All-Star teams in 2019 and 2021, weathered injuries and remained a constant through the organization’s climb.
Turang pointed to Woodruff’s refusal to stop pushing toward this moment, saying the veteran will do what is required to help win. Chourio said the club would be thrilled to have him if he made the team.
Bauers framed Woodruff’s value in broader terms, saying his presence has mattered to Milwaukee’s young pitchers and to the culture of the entire club. Now the Brewers have him in uniform for the World Series, a remarkable reversal from the surgery room that had seemed to be waiting only a few months ago.
