Just days after the Milwaukee Brewers were dealt a crushing blow with the loss of reigning National League MVP Christian Yelich, the club has received some more positive news.
The Brewers pulled into a tie with the Chicago Cubs for the second NL Wild Card spot on Wednesday night, and now starting pitcher Brandon Woodruff is on the cusp of a return from injury:
David Stearns on Brandon Woodruff, who threw to hitters yesterday: “Very pleased with how he felt after the outing, how his stuff looked. So I think the expectation now is sometime within the next week, we should be able to see Brandon Woodruff in a Major League game."
— Adam McCalvy (@AdamMcCalvy) September 12, 2019
Woodruff has not pitched since the end of July do to a strained oblique.
The 26-year-old burst onto the scene for the Brewers last season as a hard-throwing right-hander that Craig Counsell would eventually deploy in long relief during the postseason.
Woodruff moved into the starting rotation in 2019 after escaping a series of trade rumors this past winter, and rewarded the Brewers by making the NL All-Star team.
Through his first 20 starts, Woodruff had posted an 11-3 record with a 3.75 ERA and a 10.4 K/9. He absolutely dominated in May, winning four of his five starts to the tune of a 1.36 ERA and a .440 OPS against.
Milwaukee has struggled to make up the deficit in Woodruff's absence. Zack Davies, Gio Gonzalez and Adrian Houser have pitched admirably, but the Brewers DFA'd Jhoulys Chacin and have once again had to rely on their bullpen for a heavy workload.
The starting rotation ranks 25th in baseball in terms of fWAR and 27th since the All-Star break (although their 4.30 ERA ranks 10th).
Woodruff should supply Milwaukee with yet another arm, though they may have to ease him back into action given that he is unlikely to have a rehab assignment.
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