In an unexpected development, Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Brandon Woodruff will not need surgery to repair the anterior capsule in his right shoulder.
Woodruff, 33, expected to undergo surgery this month, which would have been the second procedure performed on his shoulder in three years. Yet after undergoing new four-week imaging scans and consulting with orthopedic surgeon Dr. Keith Meister, surgery was not recommended, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Curt Hogg.
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Instead, Woodruff will begin a five-week throwing progression and continue plyometric work as part of his rehabilitation.
Despite the encouraging news. the nine-year veteran is still unlikely to return for the Brewers’ upcoming postseason run. Brewers manager Pat Murphy is hoping there’s a chance, but acknowledged the uphill climb Woodruff faces.
“I think there’s a low possibility, but I think there’s a possibility,” Murphy told MLB.com’s Casey Drottar.
“We also have to think of the reality of it,” he added. “Now he has to pick up the ball. Now it’s the progression back. How quickly? How much risk is there in that? But we’ll do anything we can to have Woody [as] a possibility for any of this season.”
Had he needed surgery, Woodruff was unlikely to pitch the 2027 season. When he underwent the same procedure to repair his anterior capsule in 2023, Woodruff missed the entire 2024 season and didn’t return until July 2025.
When he returned last season, Woodruff made 12 starts and finished with a 3.20 ERA and 83 strikeouts in 64 2/3 innings before being shut down in September because of a right lat strain.
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Woodruff’s further career would have also been in doubt had he needed another surgery. Faced with that possibility, Woodruff insisted that he wouldn’t be retiring from baseball.
The right-hander went on the injured list twice this season with right shoulder inflammation, first on May 1 then again on July 5. Both times, Woodruff showed lowered velocity in his previous start.
In a June 30 start versus the Arizona Diamondbacks, he pitched 1 1/3 innings with an average fastball of 85.4 mph compared to 92.5 mph in his prior five starts. He was sidelined for six weeks.
On July 4, also facing the D-Backs, Woodruff lasted 3 2/3 innings while his fastball dropped from 92.5 mph to 86.6, His changeup also decreased from 82.9 mph to 76.6. Two weeks later, Woodruff told reporters that he would have season-ending surgery on his shoulder.
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The Brewers have the best record in MLB at 81-49 after Saturday’s 4-1 win over the Atlanta Braves. They lead the National League with a staff ERA of 3.42 (3.48 by starters, 3.34 by relievers), led by Jacob Misiorowski’s 1.48 ERA with a 13-5 record and 216 strikeouts in 145 innings.
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