The Milwaukee Brewers announced Sunday that starting pitcher Brandon Woodruff has been placed back on the 15-day injured list, this time dealing with right shoulder inflammation that cut his outing short during Saturday night’s 4-3 loss to the host Arizona Diamondbacks.
To fill the vacancy on the roster, Milwaukee called up left-handed pitcher Drew Rom from Triple-A Nashville.
Woodruff’s night ended in the fourth inning after he faced 14 batters, surrendering three runs on two hits and one walk while recording six strikeouts across 3 2/3 innings. The loss marked just his third start since coming back from surgery to remove a cyst from his shoulder joint — a procedure that had kept him sidelined for nearly two months.
The 33-year-old revealed he had been feeling discomfort in his shoulder as early as the second inning. His declining velocity told the story: his fastball dropped from 92.5 mph in the first inning down to 86.6 mph by the fourth, while his changeup fell from 82.9 mph to 76.6 mph over the same stretch.
Despite the setback, Woodruff expressed a measured outlook on the situation. “It gets frustrating having to go through this stuff, but I’m in a good spot mentally with it,” he said. “I know what’s before me. I know what I’m dealing with, so if I can avoid some things, it just becomes, ‘Get back on the field and pitch and help them win.’”
Woodruff left the mound following a visit from Milwaukee manager Pat Murphy, athletic trainer Brad Epstein, and pitching coach Chris Hook.
Murphy was candid about the impact Woodruff’s absence will have on the club. “It’s really unfortunate. He’s a huge part of our organization, a huge part of our team this year and was a huge part of the team last year,” Murphy said. “He just has an unbelievable presence and does whatever he can to help people. And he’s a great pitcher.”
Through nine starts this season, Woodruff holds a 2-2 record with a 2.98 ERA, 47 strikeouts, and 10 walks across 45 1/3 innings. He missed all of the 2024 season recovering from right shoulder surgery to repair his anterior capsule.
A two-time All-Star, selected in 2019 and 2021, Woodruff carries a career record of 55-30 with a 3.10 ERA over 151 appearances — including 136 starts — spanning nine seasons with the Brewers since 2017. Milwaukee originally drafted him in the 11th round of the 2014 MLB Draft.
As for Rom, the 26-year-old enters with a 1-0 record and 3.18 ERA for Milwaukee this season, posting four walks and 11 strikeouts across 5 2/3 innings in five relief appearances, including a win recorded over one-third of an inning in Sunday’s 3-2 victory over Arizona. At Nashville this season, he went 3-1 with one save, a 2.51 ERA, 10 walks, and 47 strikeouts across 32 1/3 innings in 25 relief outings. Rom also saw action in 2023 with the St. Louis Cardinals, going 1-4 with an 8.02 ERA in 33 2/3 innings over eight games, all starts.
