10/23/2026 03:21:00
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10/23 15:20 CDT Pitcher Brandon Woodruff makes Brewers' World Series roster as
he returns from shoulder injury
Pitcher Brandon Woodruff makes Brewers' World Series roster as he returns from
shoulder injury
By STEVE MEGARGEE
AP Sports Writer
MILWAUKEE (AP) --- Brandon Woodruff has made the Milwaukee Brewers' World
Series roster without having pitched in a game over the last 3 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. Woodruff said he got the news from manager Pat Murphy and president of
baseball operations Matt Arnold while driving home Thursday.
"I didn't want this to be a charity pick," Woodruff said Friday. "That was
important to me. ... I wanted to be on the roster because I felt like I could
help win."
Woodruff's potential role hasn't been specified. Although he has started in all
but 15 of his 151 career regular-season appearances, four of his eight playoff
outings have come in relief.
Woodruff, 33, 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.
"We know who the kid is," Murphy said. "We know that it's not going to be too
much for him. This is what this kid's all about. He's been around here for 10
years or whatever, and we've understood it. We feel like there's a window where
he can help us.
"That was the whole decision. This isn't a, ?Wow, we love Woody, he's great for
the organization.' Because he already said to us, ?I don't want to be a
sympathy pick. I want to be a pick because I can help the team.' Then you go
through all the things and say, ?Can he help us?' The answer is ?Yes, he can
definitely help us.'"
Even so, this move represents a major gamble.
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 likely wouldn't be able to fill Woodruff's spot if they include him
on the roster and he has a recurrence of the shoulder issue.
"I expressed how I felt about things and kind of where I was, and I was very
truthful and very open," Woodruff said. "It came down to I want one thing,
whether I was on the roster or not, and that's to win. So whatever was decided,
I was good with. Obviously I love to compete and I want to pitch, but I
understood the other side of it. Yeah, excited. I'm ready to go. My message was
help in any capacity Murph needed me to get outs. I didn't really care what
that looked like."
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.
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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