After lacking your entire 2024 season following surgery on the anterior capsule in his right shoulder, Brandon Woodruff goals to return to ace standing for the Milwaukee Brewers in 2025. The 31-year-old righthander was a cornerstone of Milwaukee’s beginning rotation from 2017-2023.
Over his profession, Woodruff has established himself as one of many franchise’s finest pitchers. With a 46-26 file and a 3.10 ERA in seven seasons, he ranks No. 1 in several key categories for the Brewers, together with ERA, WHIP (1.045) and strike-to-walk ratio (4.477).
Woodruff has additionally earned two All-Star choices and recognition within the Cy Younger Award voting, ending in the top five in 2021.
Since 2020, Woodruff is 30-20 with a 2.76 ERA and 566 strikeouts in 473.1 innings.
Woodruff’s absence in the course of the 2024 season was keenly felt. Whereas nonetheless robust, Milwaukee’s pitching employees declined in key metrics.
With out Woodruff last season, the Brewers posted a WHIP of 1.23 (ninth in MLB) and their batting common in opposition to was tenth (.237). With Woodruff within the rotation in 2023, Milwaukee’s pitching employees ranked second in WHIP at 1.19 and had the most effective batting common in opposition to at .226.
On the MLB winter conferences, Brewers GM Matt Arnold spoke on Woodruff’s standing forward of the 2025 season.
“It is onerous to say in the meanwhile,” he mentioned, per Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. “I feel, definitely, we now have expectations that he’ll be a part of our rotation. We additionally wish to be cautious with him and his well being.”
After Woodruff returns, he ought to ultimately reclaim his place because the crew’s ace — a job briefly crammed by Freddy Peralta (11-9, 3.68 ERA) in 2024. With Woodruff again at prime type, the Brewers ought to anticipate a major increase of their rotation’s efficiency.
Woodruff’s return may additionally result in a resurgence for Milwaukee because it seems to make it again to the postseason following a disappointing exit within the NL wild-card spherical in opposition to the New York Mets.
Woodruff’s robust postseason numbers — a 3.18 ERA with 40 strikeouts, 4 walks and two dwelling runs allowed in 28.1 innings — may assist Milwaukee snap out of its postseason doldrums. In 4 of the previous seven seasons, the Brewers have misplaced within the wild-card spherical.
