Milwaukee Brewers manager Pat Murphy ruled out pitcher Brandon Woodruff for the National League Division Series against the Chicago Cubs.
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Speaking to reporters Friday in Milwaukee, one day before the NL Central rivals will square off in the best-of-five series, Murphy also said Woodruff’s shoulder is “100 percent intact.”
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Woodruff had been on the injured list with a right lat strain from Sept. 18 until the end of the regular season. Milwaukee then clinched a first-round bye by winning 96 games — more than any team in either league.
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That bought some time for Woodruff, a two-time All-Star, to recover. It wasn’t enough.
However, Murphy said the 32-year-old pitcher’s season might not be over. Woodruff might still recover in time to pitch for the Brewers in the NL Championship Series or the World Series, if the Brewers advance that far.
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Woodruff missed all of 2024 recovering from surgery on his right shoulder. The recovery extended into the 2025 season, and he did not make his debut with the Brewers until July.
To the surprise of some, Woodruff picked up right where he left off. In 12 starts, he went 7-2 with a 3.20 earned-run average (130 ERA+). He averaged more than 5 innings per start.
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From 2017-22, Woodruff was among the best starting pitchers in the National League. The right-hander went 46-26 with a 3.10 ERA (137 ERA+). He made the All-Star team in 2019 and 2021, and finished fifth in NL Cy Young Award voting in 2021.
Freddy Peralta will start Game 1 for the Brewers on Saturday at American Family Field. Behind him lies one of the deepest rotations of any World Series contender, even without Woodruff.
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Quinn Priester and Jose Quintana are both ready to start Game 2 for the Brewers, but Murphy did not announce which pitcher is the favorite to get the assignment.
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