Brewers Get a Major Rotation Boost as Brandon Woodruff Nears Return from Shoulder Injury

Pat Murphy just made it official. The Brewers are getting Brandon Woodruff back, and the timing couldn’t be better.

The Milwaukee right-hander, who has been grinding through a shoulder injury that limited him to just six starts this season, will slot back into the rotation during the team’s upcoming series in Cincinnati. Murphy confirmed the news Friday, per MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy.

Woodruff hasn’t been at full strength for most of the year, but when he’s been on the mound he’s still been effective. A 3.60 ERA across those six starts isn’t flashy, but it’s solid. And for a guy who’s been dealing with something as nagging as a shoulder issue, that’s a pretty good sign.

What This Means for the Brewers

Milwaukee is already playing well. They sit at 45-27, which is good for a 5.5-game lead over the Cardinals in the NL Central. That’s real breathing room. But adding a two-time All-Star back to the rotation gives them a different kind of weapon down the stretch.

The Brewers aren’t the flashiest team in the league. They don’t have the Dodgers’ payroll or the Braves’ lineup of household names. What they do have is a knack for finding ways to win, and a pitching staff that keeps them in almost every game.

Right now, Milwaukee is just half a game behind Atlanta for the second-best record in the National League. The Dodgers lead everyone at 48-27. So the Brewers are right there in the conversation, even if nobody talks about them like they’re a top-tier contender.

Woodruff won’t fix everything overnight, but he doesn’t have to. The rotation is already functional. He just makes it better. And in a division where the Cardinals are hanging around but haven’t been able to close the gap, every extra win matters.

The immediate focus, though, is on Friday night. The Brewers are in Atlanta for a three-game set against the Braves. First pitch is at 7:15 PM EST. Woodruff won’t be on the mound for that one, but knowing he’s coming back soon should give the clubhouse a nice lift.

Milwaukee has been quietly putting together one of the more complete stretches of baseball in the NL this season. Get Woodruff back healthy and they might force people to pay attention whether they want to or not.