APPLETON (NBC 26) — Milwaukee Brewers right-hander Brandon Woodruff continued his rehab assignment this week with the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, marking a significant step in his recovery from shoulder surgery.
The outing was Woodruff’s second since returning to game action, and while the radar gun wasn’t lighting up, the 31-year-old pitcher said he accomplished what he needed.
“Yeah, I felt pretty good,” Woodruff said. “You know, it's been a little bit of a journey and it's been 19 months, and it's good to just to get out and pitch honestly.”
Woodruff threw four innings in his second rehab start, a repeat of his first appearance in Triple-A Nashville. He tossed 68 pitches, 44 of them for strikes, allowing six hits, three runs, and three walks while striking out three.
The focus, he said, wasn’t velocity but rather regaining command of his pitches.
“You know when you have any type of surgery, especially shoulder surgery, typically the last thing that comes for guys is the command of the baseball,” Woodruff said. “Until the velocity gets back, that’s what I’m going to have to be able to lock in on is the command.”
While he’s known for a fastball that can touch the upper 90s, Woodruff acknowledged that’s not where he is right now.
“Right now the fastball is not 98. It's not 96–98,” he said. “It's time to do things a little bit different, which is going to help me in the long run. So keeping that perspective is big in rehab.”
The two-time All-Star hasn’t pitched in a major league game since 2023 due to a capsular injury in his shoulder that required surgery. Now, more than a year and a half removed from the procedure, he says health remains his top priority.
“Health right now is the most important thing for me and just keep checking those boxes,” he said. “Body feels good, shoulder felt good, everything felt good today. So check that box, move on to the next one.”
Reflecting on the long road back, Woodruff said the rehab process has been both physically and emotionally demanding.
“Honestly, 2024 was a blur to me. I was so caught up in rehab and just the day-to-day stuff with that,” he said. “There were some rough weeks, and that’s part of it. It makes you appreciate baseball and getting to play this game.”
Woodruff stayed close to the team during his recovery, remaining active in the Brewers’ clubhouse even when he couldn’t take the field. With his wife pregnant during much of last season, he prioritized staying in Milwaukee and around his teammates.
“That was important for me,” he said. “You can’t help on the field and you have to sit there and watch, and that can be tough. But just being around guys who are going through the day-to-day stuff—that’s kind of what you want to be in on.”
Now nearing the final phase of his rehab, Woodruff said the next steps involve stretching out his innings and pitch count. The plan calls for at least one more five-inning outing.
“In this process, essentially you get to an inning. For me in Nashville, it was four. And then I had today, which was just a repeat,” he said. “The next one will hopefully be five innings. Then you kind of get through one or two of those and reassess.”
Woodruff emphasized that any return to the majors will require careful attention to recovery time, given the increased intensity and adrenaline at the big-league level.
“There’s going to be another jump of adrenaline and that’s a different animal involved with that,” he said. “So you have to really make sure you’re in a good spot recovery-wise.”
The right-hander credited patience—and perspective—as key parts of the rehab journey.
“Patience, patience. I’m not very good at it,” he said. “Winning small little victories—I can go back to last summer where playing catch at 60 foot was not fun, you know what I mean? And here I am pitching.”
Woodruff said his next outing will take place in Nashville. Despite the challenges of facing younger, more aggressive hitters at the Single-A level, he said the Timber Rattlers appearance served its purpose.
“Honestly, aside from giving a run today, it was a perfect day for me,” he said. “I checked everything I wanted to check. I felt good, threw the pitches, got through four innings. A lot of positive stuff for me in terms of my pitches.”
With the Brewers’ rotation battling injuries, Woodruff said he’s eager to rejoin the big-league club.
“I can't—I cannot wait just to get back in the fold,” he said. “Hopefully this goes smooth over the next few weeks and I’ll be back.”
Woodruff pointed to the returns of DL Hall and Aaron Ashby, as well as the performance of newcomer Chad Patrick, as reasons for optimism.
“We’ve been to the playoffs six out of eight years or whatever it is, and that’s not by chance,” he said. “We’ve got some good guys.”
