Brewers place key pitcher on 15-day IL

The Brewers announced Sunday that they’ve placed right-hander Brandon Woodruff on the 15-day injured list with a right lat strain. 

Woodruff’s IL placement is retroactive to Sept. 18. Left-hander Robert Gasser was recalled from Triple-A in a corresponding move and is slated to start Sunday’s game for Milwaukee.

When could Brandon Woodruff return for Milwaukee Brewers?

Woodruff’s retroactive placement on the shelf means that he’ll be eligible to return in time for the start of the NLDS on Oct. 4. Of course, that would require Woodruff to be shelved for only a minimum stint on the IL, which is far from guaranteed. 

According to Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Woodruff is suffering from a "moderate" lat strain, in the words of manager Pat Murphy. Murphy added that it’s too early to tell how Woodruff’s playoff availability will be impacted by the injury, and MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy reports that he’s seeing a doctor in St. Louis on Sunday to get his injury assessed after the strain occurred during the righty’s bullpen on Saturday.

At the very least, the news brings Woodruff’s regular season to an abrupt end. Woodruff will end the regular season with 12 starts under his belt this year, during which he pitched to a 3.20 ERA with a 3.18 FIP in 64 2/3 innings of work while striking out with a sensational 32.3 percent strikeout rate. 

Woodruff made just 11 starts in 2023 due to shoulder issues and ultimately went under the knife in October of that year. That caused him to miss the entire 2024 season, and an ankle injury during his rehab this season delayed his return to the big league mound until early July. He immediately slotted back into the top of Milwaukee’s rotation upon his return, and helped to sustain the hot streak that thrust them to not only the top of the NL Central, but to the best record in all of baseball.

The timing of this latest ailment is surely frustrating for both the Brewers and Woodruff himself, given its proximity to the playoffs. Woodruff acknowledged as much himself in comments made to reporters (including McCalvy) Sunday morning.

Woodruff noted that he "wasn’t surprised" by the injury and noted he’s been managing his shoulder for some time, adding that a setback could have occurred in June or July and that it’s just "crappy timing" that this happened to come up right before the postseason begins. Woodruff added that it’s too early to say whether or not the injury could end his 2025 campaign or speculate on a timeline for return. He’ll need to confer with his doctors before he has a better idea of what his next steps will ultimately be.

Which pitchers could step up with Brandon Woodruff out?

With Woodruff sidelined, the Brewers’ potential postseason rotation is in flux. Freddy Peralta and Quinn Priester appear to be locks to start playoff games, but there’s little certainty outside of that. Woodruff would obviously get starts if and when he returns, and Jose Quintana could find himself in the conversation as well, depending on his own recovery from injury. 

While those two are shelved, however, they’ll likely be forced to choose between struggling rookie Jacob Misiorowski and fellow rookie right-hander Chad Patrick to round out the rotation. Perhaps Gasser can put himself into the discussion with a strong outing Sunday, but the southpaw has not yet pitched in the majors this year after undergoing elbow surgery last year and has just 38 innings of work in the minors under his belt this season.