Brandon Woodruff’s status has turned into the biggest Brewers roster question heading into Game 1, and for good reason. Just a few months ago, his 2026 season looked done, and even 2027 was in doubt after he landed on the Injured List with an anterior shoulder capsule injury.
At first, the outlook was grim. Woodruff was expected to need surgery, which made the injury feel all too familiar after 2023, when the same issue ended his season, cost him the entire 2024 campaign, and wiped out part of the 2025 season as well. That was the backdrop when he went down again this summer.
Then came the twist in August: after more evaluation, Woodruff did not need surgery. From there, he started a throwing progression, and over the last couple of months he’s worked back to the point where he’s been throwing bullpens and even completed his first live outing earlier in the week.
Now the Brewers are staring at their World Series roster decision, set for Friday morning, and Woodruff is very much in the conversation. Nothing is locked in yet, but Milwaukee general manager and president of baseball operations Matt Arnold sounded encouraged when asked about the right-hander on Thursday.
“Woody looked really good the other day… this is one of the most successful, dominant big-game pitchers I’ve been around… there are are also some rule constraints that we’re having to work through,” Arnold said.
Those “rule constraints” refer to a playoff roster rule that comes into play if a player has to be removed because of injury, but the league considers the injury recurring or pre-existing, which prevents a replacement from being added to the postseason roster.
That wrinkle is the main reason Woodruff’s status is still up in the air. As of Friday morning, Milwaukee had not announced whether he would be active.
The rest of the Brewers’ 26-man roster should look familiar. The club used the same roster in the NLDS and NLCS, so the spotlight is squarely on the pitchers when the list drops.
Woodruff’s name could be on it. It just isn’t guaranteed.
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For the Rays, the challenge is finding a way to keep that Milwaukee relief group from taking over. Olney said Tampa Bays path to an upset depends on its starters carrying games deep enough to reduce the burden on the bullpen, especially with the Rays no longer backed by the kind of dominant relief corps they have had in past seasons. That makes the first few trips through the lineup feel especially important, and it leaves the series hanging on whether Tampa Bay can solve a very familiar Brewers formula. [Read more 🡒]