Milwaukee right-hander Brandon Woodruff will not pitch in the National League wild-card series against the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks due to a right shoulder injury, Brewers manager Craig Counsell said Monday.
Counsell said Woodruff was diagnosed with a right shoulder capsular injury.
“We’re working on a second opinion for Brandon to see over the next couple of days,” Counsell said at the start of Monday’s press conference. “Frankly, his availability for the postseason up in the air.”
Woodruff was expected to start the second game of the series on Wednesday. Counsell did not announce a starter for Game 2; Corbin Burnes will start Game 1.
Woodruff was on the injured list from mid-April through early August with right shoulder inflammation. He finished the regular season 5-1 with a 2.28 ERA in 11 starts.
An emotional Woodruff was devastated by the news.
“It sucks, man,” Woodruff said, his voice breaking. “We’ve got a good clubhouse and I want to be a part of that. Sitting here now, I may not. That’s the hard part. But we’ve got a good group, and I think we’ll be fine, and I’ll be right in the middle of it.”
The two-time All-Star was 2-0 with a 1.67 ERA in four September starts, allowing five runs over 27 innings. But four of those runs were in his last start against Miami, when he gave up six hits in five innings.
“I had no issues until probably Miami, to be honest,” Woodruff said. “I could tell something little bit maybe the first couple innings, but it wasn’t anything alarming to me. There was a velocity drop and then it kind of came back, but I didn’t get to the point where I thought anything was going on. I just thought it was normal stuff.”
“Then, having the live (batting practice) the other day, the ball was coming out great, but I didn’t feel that great and so, again, I didn’t think anything of it. And then playing catch yesterday is when I first realized it was a very similar feeling to what I has having in Arizona before I had that MRI because of the first injury.”
By clinching the NL Central last week, the Brewers had set up their playoff rotation with Burnes, Woodruff and Freddy Peralta. Burnes (10-8, 3.39 ERA) will be opposed by Arizona rookie right-hander Brandon Pfaadt (3-9, 5.72 ERA) in the series opener Tuesday.
Counsell was not sure if another pitcher would be added to the playoff roster, which could depend on the outcome of the first game, as well as bullpen use.
“I think that decision is tomorrow at 11,” he said. “It’s certainly news that we weren’t planning on, so it will come up in discussion as to, ‘Does it affect the number of pitchers we carry?'”
–Field Level Media
