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Brandon Woodruff made it to the World Series.
The Brewers pitcher, shelved with what was believed to be a season-ending shoulder injury in July, was named to Milwaukee’s 26-man roster ahead of Game 1 against the Rays on Friday.
The 33-year-old is the longest-tenure member of the Brewers and was set to have surgery to repair a capsule in his right shoulder — the same shoulder that caused him to miss all of 2024. In August, he announced he’d healed fast enough to not need the procedure and began throwing.
On Tuesday, his fastball hit the low 90s in a simulated game.
“I’ve probably made (the team’s) decision a little bit harder, which is a good problem for them,” Woodruff said Thursday. “I’m lucky, I’m blessed, we got a chance to win the World Series, and regardless of what happens, I will be just as excited to win if I’m on the roster or not.”
His inclusion is a bit of a gambit for Milwaukee, as he may not be able to be replaced on the roster due to rules regarding non-chronic injuries.
“We’d love to do it,” manager Pat Murphy told reporters Thursday. “But we have responsibility to those 20-some guys in there and to the organization and to the city and to whoever else we’re responsible to.”
In the end, they did it, and will now have their two-time All-Star back in action — potentially as a starter, per The Athletic.
Woodruff went 2-2 in nine starts on the season, posting a 2.98 ERA to go with 47 strikeouts and 10 walks over 45 1/3 innings.
With Woodruff on the World Series roster, the Brewers left right-hander Chad Patrick off after he didn’t pitch in the NLCS sweep of the Dodgers.