Pitcher Brandon Woodruff makes Brewers’ World Series roster as he returns from shoulder injury

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Brandon Woodruff has made the Milwaukee Brewers’ World Series roster without having pitched in a game over the last 3 1/2 months.

Woodruff took the place of Chad Patrick on Milwaukee’s 13-man pitching staff as the Brewers and Tampa Bay Rays submitted their World Series rosters Friday before playing Game 1 in Milwaukee.

This is the latest step in a remarkable comeback for Woodruff, a two-time All-Star who had expected to undergo season-ending shoulder surgery this past summer. Instead, the 33-year-old gets a chance to pitch in the World Series for the first time.

“It would mean a ton,” Woodruff said Thursday about the possibility of being on the World Series roster. “This is why I play. The playoffs are my jam, per se. I love this time of year. I love pitching in the big moments. I just kind of feel like I’m ready for this.”

Woodruff went on the injured list in early May after a reduction in his velocity prompted him to leave a game in the second inning. He returned in late June, dealt with another velocity dip during a July 4 start at Arizona and hasn’t pitched since.

He expected to undergo anterior capsule surgery, a procedure similar to one he had three years ago. Woodruff then learned the surgery wouldn’t be necessary, and he has been trying to work his way back ever since in hopes of pitching again in October.

Woodruff said he felt good after throwing 23 pitches in a live batting practice session Tuesday. Even so, this move represents a major gamble.

This move represents a gamble for the Brewers.

A club may request permission from the commissioner to replace a player on the active roster for the remainder of a series if he sustains an “acute, non-chronic injury or ailment (not recurring soreness over time).” That means the Brewers couldn’t have somebody fill Woodruff’s spot if they include him on the roster and he has a recurrence of the shoulder issue.

Woodruff’s 3.10 career ERA is the best in Brewers history for anyone who has pitched at least 500 innings for the team. Even while dealing with his drops in velocity this season, Woodruff went 2-2 with a 2.98 ERA in nine starts.

He has a 1-3 record and 3.18 ERA in eight career playoff appearances.

Although the Brewers have reached the postseason eight times in the last nine seasons, Woodruff’s last playoff appearance came way back in 2021 because of a variety of injuries. He underwent shoulder surgery in the fall of 2023 and didn’t pitch again until July 2025. A lat strain prevented him from pitching in last year’s playoffs.

“Obviously this is a guy that’s one of the most successful, dominant big-game pitchers I’ve ever been around,” Brewers president of baseball operations Matt Arnold said Thursday while discussing the uncertainty regarding Woodruff’s situation. “And there are also some rule constraints that we’re having to work through with the health, et cetera, that have to be a consideration because he hasn’t pitched in a game since July 4. A lot of unknowns there, but obviously the good version of that guy is somebody you’d love to have on your roster.”

Patrick had been on Milwaukee’s roster for their NL Division Series victory over the San Diego Padres and their NL Championship Series sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers, but he hadn’t pitched in either series. Patrick went 9-4 with a 3.40 ERA during the regular season.

Tampa Bay altered its pitching roster by including left-hander Garrett Cleavinger rather than right-hander Brody Hopkins. The Rays have the same roster they used for their AL Division Series victory over the New York Yankees.

Hopkins had taken Cleavinger’s spot for Tampa Bay’s AL Championship Series matchup with the Cleveland Guardians. Although Cleavinger was on the ALDS roster, he didn’t actually pitch in that series.

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