Woodruff pitches into 6th for first time in rehab

CHICAGO -- The Brewers are one step closer to getting a two-time All-Star off the injured list.

Right-hander Brandon Woodruff made another rehab start Wednesday afternoon with High-A Wisconsin. He tossed 5 2/3 innings (74 pitches), giving up one unearned run on three hits and a walk while striking out three.

It was the fourth outing of his Minor League rehab assignment. He missed all of the 2024 season after undergoing shoulder surgery in October 2023.

Woodruff got through the first five innings quickly, and he told reporters in Appleton, Wis., that, since he still felt good, the decision was made for him to go back out in the sixth. He didn’t finish the frame as he went right up to the pitch count -- and nobody wanted to risk him ending up in a long at-bat with the next hitter -- but he said it was a positive “to get that extra up and just kind of feel that sixth inning.”

The numbers have been good for Woodruff during his rehab assignment, but that’s not Milwaukee's primary concern. The innings and pitches aren’t necessarily the most important things, either.

“It's like, 'Hey, is he on it with his changeup? Is there shape to his pitches?'” manager Pat Murphy said. “Numbers or innings pitched isn't the deal. It's where he's at with his stuff, and is he recovering so he's able to repeat the stuff five days later.”

“It starts with the delivery,” Woodruff said. “It starts with everything over the rubber, and that cleans everything up. So that's the biggest thing I'm looking for, because at the big league level, you got to be able to command the baseball. That's the biggest thing I'm trying to accomplish is just command of not only the fastballs, but all my pitches.”

Woodruff’s velocity isn’t quite back to its previous level (his four-seamer hasn’t averaged lower than 95.8 mph since 2018). There’s hope his velocity climbs the more he pitches, but even that isn’t a big concern.

“That will come with more reps and as my body gets used to doing this again,” Woodruff said. “It's just been a while, and you know what, 92 to 94 [mph], I don't know what I hit today, but I can pitch with that.”

“It's not all about velocity, but it's about, can that fastball be effective? Is he commanding the fastball?” Murphy said. “We know the secondary stuff is all getting better. … The sweeper has become something that he's never really done before, and he's liking it. The changeup is still not where he wants it, but he knows that's a big pitch for him. He's feeling better spinning the ball than he ever has, so those are all great signs.

“Now, if the velo comes back, too, oof, we got something.”

Woodruff will make at least one more rehab start, most likely with Triple-A Nashville. Beyond that, nothing has been determined. The 30-day window for his assignment ends May 11. And whenever he finally returns, he said, “It'll definitely be an emotional day. It'll almost feel like I'm debuting again.”

Right now, he’s just trying to take it day by day, outing by outing.

He wants to make sure his delivery is in a good spot, he continues to recover well and he builds his body up to handle the intensity of big league games. The Brewers have let Woodruff lead the way in determining when he’s ready to rejoin the rotation.

The hope is that isn’t too far away.

“Gosh, they've supported me so much in this journey,” Woodruff said. “I know the front office and staff knew that this was going to be a tough one to come back from, but at the end of the day, nobody can feel what I feel inside of my body. I'm the one that has to know. … Most of it is from my end and communicating well and not trying to [rush it], because the thing you don't want to have happen is rush something this early in the process.

“I know it's been 19-20 months and that's a long time, but for a shoulder, sometimes it gets tricky. I have to make sure I'm in the best spot possible when I do return to set me up to be able to finish the year. I'm on the path to do that. They've supported me and given me the freedom to be able to communicate that and do what I need to do.”

“[With] Woody's mindset and mentality,” Murphy said, “when he's ready, no matter what the stuff is, I feel confident.”