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In advance of the first of their two exhibition games against the Cincinnati Reds at American Family Field on Monday, March 23, the Milwaukee Brewers announced their rotation to open the 2026 season.
Included in that group: veteran right-hander Brandon Woodruff, whose first start will come March 31 against the Tampa Bay Rays.
"I think it's an encouraging sign," manager Pat Murphy said. "We weren't thinking that he was going to be on the team early with the way it was going. But it went so well in terms of he feels great and he feels like he's ready. And you've got to trust the player.
"We're all involved in it, but you've got to trust the player. And we do. We trust him."
Woodruff, 33, is coming off a spring training in which he did the majority of his heavy lifting on the back fields rather than in Cactus League starts.
In fact, he made only two, finishing with a 2-0 record, 5.40 earned run average, 1.60 WHIP (walks and hits per inning pitched) and seven strikeouts in five total innings. Woodruff's last outing, against the Texas Rangers, saw him throw 62 pitches in three innings with his fastball velocity dipping into the high 80s at the tail end of the appearance.
"My pitch count is obviously a little less than some of the guys coming out of camp," Woodruff said. "But I felt like I was recovering and the stuff was there and coming along, and I didn't feel like I necessarily wanted to go pitch in minor-league games.
"I'll roll with it here first few outings early on and kind of get that good base under me. I'll get another outing here on Wednesday, so that'll be a good opportunity for me going into the season."
The big picture, of course, is most important to Woodruff and the Brewers with the two parties officially joining up again when Woodruff agreed to the team's one-year, $22.025 million qualifying offer in November.
He missed the end of the 2023 season with a shoulder injury, underwent surgery that offseason, missed all of 2024 and the first half of last year before returning and making 12 starts before a right lat strain knocked him out of action for the playoffs.
"I came into camp in a good spot, and I'm not hurt," Woodruff said. "I didn't want that to be the story coming out of spring, having that lat [injury] attached to me, because I feel good. I feel like it's a good time for me to just come into the season fresh and try to get a full year."
As Woodruff noted, he'll report to American Family Field to throw a simulated game March 25 for his last true tune-up before the results start mattering.
"Getting the ups and the pitch count is always the toughest part," he said. "Once you can kind of get consistent with that and get a few outings under your belt with the load, your body starts to respond a little bit better. But it's been good so far.
"I've been recovering well after the pitch count has climbed, so that's exciting for me, and I'll try to keep that going."
Added Murphy: "He'll go out there and be as ready as any of the other starters. He'll be himself. This guy knows how to prepare, how to navigate."
Jacob Misiorowski will start against the Chicago White Sox on opening day opposite former Brewers prospect Shane Smith, with right-handers Chad Patrick and Brandon Sproat following March 28 and 29.
Left-hander Kyle Harrison then starts the series opener against the Rays with Woodruff to follow.
Yes, it's a rotation that skews awfully young with the quartet not including Woodruff accounting for a total of 15, 27, four and 42 major league appearances respectively.
"What gives me the confidence? I haven't gotten there yet," Murphy said when asked how confident he felt in the young group. "I trust them. I see the way they work. It's not important what I think. It's important that they have the confidence in themselves."
Woodruff, when asked about his counterparts, raved about the physical talent each brings to the table.
"Man, the stuff these guys feature is incredible," he said. "These guys just wake up out of bed and throw 100. It's amazing to watch bullpens and how their stuff is just incredible for them. It all becomes consistency and preparation. How can they use their stuff against the hitter and then locate when they need to with runners on? That's the big challenge. To put that together over a full season is probably one of the most difficult things.
"But obviously everybody has the ability, and I'm excited to see what we can do."
One of the projected starters heading into camp, right-hander Quinn Priester, is looking at a return to the rotation in early May according to Murphy. He's been behind while dealing with a wrist issue related to thoracic outlet syndrome.
He's scheduled to throw two more bullpen sessions and then head back to Arizona to begin his build-up to a starter's workload when the Brewers depart on their first road trip next weekend.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Brandon Woodruff is included in Brewers' season-opening rotation
Continue reading...
Included in that group: veteran right-hander Brandon Woodruff, whose first start will come March 31 against the Tampa Bay Rays.
"I think it's an encouraging sign," manager Pat Murphy said. "We weren't thinking that he was going to be on the team early with the way it was going. But it went so well in terms of he feels great and he feels like he's ready. And you've got to trust the player.
"We're all involved in it, but you've got to trust the player. And we do. We trust him."
Woodruff, 33, is coming off a spring training in which he did the majority of his heavy lifting on the back fields rather than in Cactus League starts.
In fact, he made only two, finishing with a 2-0 record, 5.40 earned run average, 1.60 WHIP (walks and hits per inning pitched) and seven strikeouts in five total innings. Woodruff's last outing, against the Texas Rangers, saw him throw 62 pitches in three innings with his fastball velocity dipping into the high 80s at the tail end of the appearance.
"My pitch count is obviously a little less than some of the guys coming out of camp," Woodruff said. "But I felt like I was recovering and the stuff was there and coming along, and I didn't feel like I necessarily wanted to go pitch in minor-league games.
"I'll roll with it here first few outings early on and kind of get that good base under me. I'll get another outing here on Wednesday, so that'll be a good opportunity for me going into the season."
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The big picture, of course, is most important to Woodruff and the Brewers with the two parties officially joining up again when Woodruff agreed to the team's one-year, $22.025 million qualifying offer in November.
He missed the end of the 2023 season with a shoulder injury, underwent surgery that offseason, missed all of 2024 and the first half of last year before returning and making 12 starts before a right lat strain knocked him out of action for the playoffs.
"I came into camp in a good spot, and I'm not hurt," Woodruff said. "I didn't want that to be the story coming out of spring, having that lat [injury] attached to me, because I feel good. I feel like it's a good time for me to just come into the season fresh and try to get a full year."
As Woodruff noted, he'll report to American Family Field to throw a simulated game March 25 for his last true tune-up before the results start mattering.
"Getting the ups and the pitch count is always the toughest part," he said. "Once you can kind of get consistent with that and get a few outings under your belt with the load, your body starts to respond a little bit better. But it's been good so far.
"I've been recovering well after the pitch count has climbed, so that's exciting for me, and I'll try to keep that going."
Added Murphy: "He'll go out there and be as ready as any of the other starters. He'll be himself. This guy knows how to prepare, how to navigate."
Jacob Misiorowski will start against the Chicago White Sox on opening day opposite former Brewers prospect Shane Smith, with right-handers Chad Patrick and Brandon Sproat following March 28 and 29.
Left-hander Kyle Harrison then starts the series opener against the Rays with Woodruff to follow.
Yes, it's a rotation that skews awfully young with the quartet not including Woodruff accounting for a total of 15, 27, four and 42 major league appearances respectively.
"What gives me the confidence? I haven't gotten there yet," Murphy said when asked how confident he felt in the young group. "I trust them. I see the way they work. It's not important what I think. It's important that they have the confidence in themselves."
Woodruff, when asked about his counterparts, raved about the physical talent each brings to the table.
"Man, the stuff these guys feature is incredible," he said. "These guys just wake up out of bed and throw 100. It's amazing to watch bullpens and how their stuff is just incredible for them. It all becomes consistency and preparation. How can they use their stuff against the hitter and then locate when they need to with runners on? That's the big challenge. To put that together over a full season is probably one of the most difficult things.
"But obviously everybody has the ability, and I'm excited to see what we can do."
One of the projected starters heading into camp, right-hander Quinn Priester, is looking at a return to the rotation in early May according to Murphy. He's been behind while dealing with a wrist issue related to thoracic outlet syndrome.
He's scheduled to throw two more bullpen sessions and then head back to Arizona to begin his build-up to a starter's workload when the Brewers depart on their first road trip next weekend.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Brandon Woodruff is included in Brewers' season-opening rotation
Continue reading...
