Brewers two-time All-Star ace discusses recovery from injury

After undergoing an MRI, Brandon Woodruff has been diagnosed with a mild Grade 2 subscapular strain, as Woodruff and Brewers manager Craig Counsell told reporters, via Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Surgery won’t be required, but Woodruff indicated that he is facing a lengthy stint on the injured list.

“If this was something that happened midseason, All-Star break, right before or after that time, I would probably end up being done, to be honest, for the season,” Woodruff said.

“I'm not going to rush this. I'm not going to come back too early just for the sake of coming back early,” Woodruff said. “That's just not going to do anybody any good. I'm going to take my time. I'm going to listen to my body and trust the rehab process and just go through that, and hopefully come back at whatever point that is throughout the season and then try to finish up strong.”

Counsell said that a more definitive timeline and rehab plan won’t be determined until Woodruff is examined by team doctors, which will happen when the Brewers return to Milwaukee after the conclusion of their series in Seattle on April 19.

Woodruff’s placement on the 15-day IL was retroactive to April 8, and a move to the 60-day IL would also begin on that day, as shifting to the 60-day injured list doesn’t count as a new placement. The Brewers aren’t going to move Woodruff to the 60-day IL until they know for sure about his recovery timeline or until they need a 40-man roster spot, but it certainly seems like such a move will eventually be necessary if Woodruff is facing a longer absence.

As Counsell simply put it, the Brewers “don’t have coverage for Brandon Woodruff,” referring to the righty’s status as one of baseball’s better pitchers of the last few seasons. Woodruff is a two-time All-Star who also finished fifth in NL Cy Young Award voting in 2021, and the pairing of Woodruff and Corbin Burnes (who won the Cy in 2021) has given Milwaukee an outstanding one-two punch at the top of the rotation.

Although the Brewers are much deeper in pitching than most teams, Woodruff’s shoulder strain will further stretch that depth, as Milwaukee has had to deal with multiple injuries. Adrian Houser has yet to pitch this season due to a groin injury, but he has started a rehab assignment and could be back in relatively short order. However, Jason Alexander will be out until at least the end of May while recovering from a shoulder problem of his own, and Aaron Ashby’s season is in jeopardy after undergoing arthroscopic shoulder surgery.

Burnes, Freddy Peralta, Eric Lauer and Wade Miley comprise the top four in the rotation, and Counsell said that Colin Rea will continue in the fifth spot for the time being. Janson Junk, Bryse Wilson and (when he’s back) Houser are also starting options.

The Brewers are off to an impressive 10-4 start this season, and they certainly have hopes of making a return to the playoffs after a disappointing 2022 campaign. Continuing that success will be more difficult without Woodruff for an extended period of time, but if the Brewers can stay in the race, it should quiet at least some of the speculation that any of Woodruff, Burnes or Willy Adames (all free agents after the 2024 season) could be traded in order to save payroll space and reload on young talent. Woodruff’s injury would now almost surely take him off the table as a potential trade candidate this summer, and Burnes or Adames might only be moved if Milwaukee was out of the running by the deadline.

Last year’s Josh Hader trade is a sign that the Brewers are willing to move prominent talent even while still contending for a playoff berth, but it’s difficult to imagine the team making a similar deal this year given how clubhouse morale was so heavily impacted by the Hader swap.