Milwaukee Brewers’ Playoff Hopes Hit by Brandon Woodruff’s Injury
Brewers’ playoff dreams dented: Pitcher Woodruff, a key player, is to miss the opening series due to a shoulder injury. Alarms were raised for the team’s future.
Even though he is expected to miss most or all of the 2024 season, the Brewers are bringing back injured starting pitcher Brandon Woodruff on a two-year deal, according to MLB.com and other media reports.
Woodruff, who underwent shoulder surgery in October, is a two-time All-Star who missed four months last season due to a right shoulder strain but posted a 2.28 ERA and a 0.82 WHIP through 67 innings when he was able to pitch.
More shoulder trouble eventually sidelined the right-hander for the playoffs as Milwaukee was swept by Arizona in the National League Wild Card Series.
The Brewers had control of Woodruff for one more season if they had offered him a contract by Nov. 17, but when they didn’t offer him a deal, he became a free agent.
Injured ace Brandon Woodruff becomes free agent after Brewers fail to offer contract
The Brewers selected Woodruff in the 11th round of the 2014 draft out of Mississippi State, and since his major league debut in 2017, Woodruff’s 3.10 ERA ranks seventh among pitchers (minimum 600 innings), and his 4.48 K/BB rate ranks 10th, the MLB reported.
Brewers manager Pat Murphy lays out his vision for the team’s culture during his introductory news conference on Thursday at American Family Field.
“You can’t talk about the greatest era in Brewer history and not talk about Brandon Woodruff,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said Monday, MLB reported. “He’s been rock solid, and he’s trusted by every single person that has been on our teams.”
