Brewers $17 Million Man Has All Eyes On Him After Rehab Start

The Milwaukee Brewers are very close to getting one of the biggest reinforcements of the season back into the mix.

Milwaukee hasn't had two-time All-Star Brandon Woodruff on the mound for a big league game since 2023. He missed the 2024 season due to a shoulder injury and and has been working his way back since. Woodruff was close to a return recently. He made what was expected to be his final minor league rehab start but an ankle injury stopped him in his tracks right before returning.

Woodruff had to wait and begin another rehab assignment in the aftermath. He got back on the mound on Wednesday with the Triple-A Nashville Sounds. He was great going four scoreless innings while allowing just three base hits.

Now, the question is, what is next? MLB.com's Manny Randhawa shared that it is "likely" that Woodruff makes at least one more minor league start.

"The 32-year-old, who is a two-time All-Star and finished fifth in National League Cy Young Award voting in 2021, began another rehab stint with Nashville against Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in the first game of a doubleheader on Wednesday," Randhawa said. "Woodruff threw four scoreless innings (59 pitches) in the Sounds’ 3-0 win, yielding three hits while walking two and striking out two. He will likely make at least one more rehab appearance before being ready to come off the injured list."

Woodruff is right on the doorstep of his long-awaited return. A move can't come soon enough for him. He signed a two-year, $17.5 million deal with the Brewers last year and has a mutual option for the 2026 season worth $20 million. That decision certainly will be impacted by how much he can pitch this year and if he looks like his old self.