Milwaukee Brewers right-hander Brandon Woodruff went for an MRI after exiting his Thursday start against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the second inning due to low velocity on his fastball.
Woodruff was throwing in the mid-80s, approximately 7 to 10 mph slower than usual.
He faced six batters over 1 1/3 innings before manager Pat Murphy, pitching coach Chris Hook and trainer Brad Epstein came to the mound after he allowed a bloop single to Lourdes Gurriel Jr. The visit was brief and Woodruff left the game.
“He doesn’t feel like he’s injured,” Murphy said after Milwaukee’s 13-1 win. “He said, ‘My arm’s dead. Nothing’s coming out.’ I think we just have to be really cautious here.”
Murphy added, “We’ve seen it where his velocity is down early and then it climbs. We were waiting to see in the second inning if it would climb. … After the first inning, we said, ‘Hey, man, what do you got?’ He said, ‘Well, let me go back and see if I can get a little bit extra.'”
Catcher William Contreras knew pregame that Woodruff wasn’t 100%.
“I think I had a feeling there in the bullpen,” Contreras said. “Usually, whenever he says he’s got two more, he’ll let it eat a little bit more. On those two, there was something a little bit down. …
“A ton of respect for him going out there and never backing down. I think it’s a great learning lesson for the younger guys in the room to never back down. Just go out there and compete and be ready for the moment.”
Asked where Woodruff might stand moving forward, Murphy said, “We think maybe with some rest, he can build back up. People go through stuff like this.”
Murphy then literally knocked on a wooden table while saying, “Hopefully he’s solid and there’s no injury there. That would be awful.”
Woodruff struck out two and walked one and Gurriel’s hit was the lone one he allowed during the 21-pitch outing.
The Brewers figure to be cautious with Woodruff since he underwent shoulder surgery in 2023 and missed the entire 2024 season. The two-time All-Star returned to make 12 starts last season and went 7-2 with a 3.20 ERA.
Woodruff, 33, is 2-1 with a 3.60 ERA in six starts this season. He is 55-29 with a 3.13 ERA in 148 career appearances (133 starts) since reaching the majors with Milwaukee in 2017.
–Field Level Media
