Brandon Woodruff’s Injury Concerns

Brandon Woodruff, the right-handed pitcher for the Milwaukee Brewers, is facing some injury issues.

During a recent game against the Diamondbacks, he was pulled from the starting lineup partway through the second inning because of concerns related to a drop in his fastball speed.

This season, Woodruff has seen an average velocity of 92.5 mph on his fastball. However, in his 21 pitches during Thursday’s outing, he didn’t exceed 86.9 mph.

After hitting Nolan Arenado with an 83.8 mph cutter in the second inning, Brewers manager Pat Murphy and the training staff rushed to check on Woodruff after noticing something seemed off.

Post-visit, he handed the ball to Murphy and exited the game with the trainer, Brad Epstein.

Murphy explained in a midgame interview that Woodruff wasn’t performing as expected. “He felt a bit off,” he said. “He didn’t report any pain, but just felt that he couldn’t get anything behind his pitches. It’s not unheard of, but it was concerning to see his velocity dip below 85 mph.” He added, “Woodruff is crucial to our team and we don’t want to take any risks with his health.”

Before he left the game, Woodruff had been having a decent season in 2026, with a 2-1 record, a 3.77 ERA, and 23 strikeouts over 28.1 innings. It’s worth noting that he missed much of the past two seasons due to injuries. He underwent shoulder surgery in 2024 and only managed to pitch 12 games last season before suffering another injury.

If Woodruff is sidelined for a lengthy period, the Brewers, who traded ace Freddy Peralta and swingman Tobias Meyers in the offseason, will need to rely on their depth. They have flamethrowers like Jacob Misiorowski, Chad Patrick, and Kyle Harrison to step up, alongside a hopefully healthy Woodruff when he’s capable.

Murphy remains optimistic, saying, “He’s working through this and hopefully he’ll be alright. Even if he can’t hit his usual 95 mph, he can still get outs and help us win. As long as he stays healthy, he has my trust.”