Brandon Woodruff Placed on Injured List With Moderate Lat Strain, Putting Postseason Status in Question

The Brewers retained all of their young pitching depth at the trade deadline, and that depth has since been tested a few times. The staff will have to absorb another blow right before the postseason, as Brandon Woodruff hit the injured list on Sunday with what Brewers manager Pat Murphy characterized as a moderate right lat strain.

Woodruff told media that he sustained the injury during his bullpen session on Saturday. He’ll be evaluated by a doctor in St. Louis and receive an opinion from Dr. Keith Meister, who performed his shoulder surgery in October 2023. Woodruff will be eligible to return from the injured list for the NLDS, but a moderate lat strain typically requires at least a month to heal and often takes longer. He spoke of his season in the past tense on Sunday, hinting that he’s aware his comeback season could be over.

At the very least, it ends what was a productive regular season for Woodruff when healthy enough to take the mound. Despite losing a few ticks of velocity after surgery, he authored a 3.20 ERA with a 3.18 FIP, 2.91 SIERA, 80 DRA-, and 32.3% strikeout rate in 12 starts. He did not work deep into starts as consistently as he once did, but those peripherals rivaled his prime seasons.

It’s the Brewers’ second injury to a veteran starter in the last week. Jose Quintana hit the shelf with a calf strain last Wednesday and is working to return for the NLDS. Trevor Megill has also plateaued in his efforts to return from a flexor strain, and it’s currently up in the air whether he’ll be back to pitch during the club’s final home series next weekend before the playoffs.

The club will secure a first-round bye to the Division Series upon clinching the NL Central, which could happen on Sunday with a win or a Chicago Cubs loss. While the Brewers have yet to announce their rotation for that series, it seemed that Freddy Peralta, Woodruff, and Quinn Priester would start the first three playoff games. If Woodruff’s absence extends well into October, it could bump Priester up to Game 2.

Milwaukee has a few options to backfill his innings now and in the postseason. Chad Patrick slid back into the rotation for Quintana and could be a candidate to start Game 3. It could be Quintana if he's ready to pitch by then. Robert Gasser began converting to a multi-inning relief role in Triple-A Nashville, but the Brewers recalled him to start on Sunday and could stretch him back out. Jacob Misiorowski could get a playoff start, but Murphy said Woodruff’s injury won’t impact his role as the club mulls moving him to the bullpen.