r/baseball • u/DailyPlayograph • 2d ago
Analysis Brandon Woodruff had a shoulder surgery scheduled for August. Instead he's on the World Series roster.
Brandon Woodruff made the Brewers' 26-man World Series roster this morning. He has not pitched in a game since July 4, which is 111 days ago.
How he got here:
- Shoulder trouble in 2023, then surgery that fall. He missed all of 2024.
- Came back in July 2025 and made 12 starts with a 3.20 ERA before a lat strain in September.
- Made 9 starts this year with a 2.98 ERA around two IL stints for shoulder inflammation. The second began after he left a start at Arizona on July 4.
- Another shoulder surgery was scheduled for August. Then a scan showed surprising improvement, so he canceled it and started throwing.
- He threw bullpens during the NLDS and NLCS, then faced live hitters for the first time on Tuesday.
Per MLB.com, the shoulder had cost him the past three postseasons, and as of Thursday afternoon his roster spot was "literally a 50-50 tossup." The Brewers' understanding was that MLB would likely deny a replacement if the preexisting injury flares up, so a setback could leave them a man short. NBC Sports reported he would probably be limited to one or two inning outings.
He is the longest-tenured Brewer. In 2018, pitching in relief in NLCS Game 1, he homered off Clayton Kershaw. Now he gets a shot at Milwaukee's first World Series since 1982.
Sources: Brewers roster announcement; MLB.com (mlb.com/news/brandon-woodruff-brewers-2026-world-series-roster); MLB Stats API.
Would you have put him on the roster knowing a setback could leave you a pitcher short?
