Brandon Woodruff wanted to be crystal clear.
“I know yesterday the announcement seemed like I was having a funeral or I was going to announce retirement or something,” the veteran right-hander told assembled media at American Family Field on Saturday, July 18 in advance of the Milwaukee Brewers’ game against the Miami Marlins. “That’s not it at all.”
Manager Pat Murphy told reporters on Friday that Woodruff would address his right shoulder injury on his terms on Sunday, July 19, which led to all sorts of speculation on social media. Woodruff then asked to have his session moved up a day in order to clarify things more quickly.
“I’ve got to have surgery,” Woodruff continued. “It’s unfortunate. For me personally, I’ve got to go ahead and attack this rehab with the goal in mind of pitching again. This is something I’ve got to have regardless of whether I’m 50 years old or right now.
“So, for me to continue my career and keep playing I’ve got to go ahead and get it done. It doesn’t take away the fact that it sucks, because I’ve done everything I can to go pitch. But it’s the nature of the game.
“I’m not happy about it, but it’s a beautiful thing where this has all come at a time for me when my third child just came, we had an all-star break and I had time to really sit down and think about all this.”
Woodruff has been on the injured list since July 5 – the day after he was pulled from a start at Arizona after 3 ⅔ innings when his velocity dipped precipitously – with what was described as right shoulder inflammation.
But in his nearly 14-minute gathering with reporters, he shed more light on what he’s learned since then.
“Damage to the capsule again. Same one I had surgery on in ’23,” he said. The end result of that procedure was a 20-month absence from the game following a lengthy and difficult recovery and rehab process.
“There’s a couple other things that are going on that aren’t the real issue. The real issue is the capsule. I have to get it fixed and then go from there. I haven’t even thought about timelines. The good news is I know exactly what this rehab entails. I’m never closing the door on pitching. I’m getting this with the intention of rehabbing and taking care of that and being able to pitch again.
“I’m looking at trying to get this done in the next month or so. But as far as timeline, I haven’t looked in terms of if that means pitching next year or beyond.”
Woodruff, who missed nearly two months after being pulled from his start April 30, returned and pitched gems against the Cincinnati Reds (six innings, no runs, 10 strikeouts) and the Chicago Cubs (5 ⅔ innings, no runs, six strikeouts) before hitting the wall against the Diamondbacks.
“Anytime you have shoulder issues like I’ve had, it’s not easy. And truthfully leading up to Arizona, I’d had a good week,” Woodruff said. “I had nothing that indicated that what was going to happen on July 4 in Arizona was going to happen. And honestly, I was in a good spot. I was throwing the ball well, I felt fine.
“Obviously the velo wasn’t what it had been before surgery but I knew that could be a possibility. It was just kind of a slow burn in the outing. The first inning was fine, started feeling it a little bit in the second and then the third and the fourth. But in my mind always, if I’m not in pain I’m always going to take the ball.
“That’s just always the way it’s been for me. But it just got to the point where I really couldn’t throw.”
Murphy was asked what Woodruff has meant to the organization, and what he’ll mean moving forward as he shifts into a mentorship role.
“You can’t really measure it,” he said. “Him coming back that first time in Miami last year and just watching that happen, you’re just looking at each other like, ‘He’s rolling.’ And then he pumps a 95 or 96 in there and you’re like, ‘This guy’s doing it.’ And then the continuation of it, the way he went out there – he was in command.
‘What an example for our young people. It was just incredible. Even this year, the starts this year. What were his numbers? They were solid. Better than solid, throwing 91. It’s just an amazing testament to pitching with a mindset.”
A lifelong Brewer, having been drafted in the 11th round in 2014 and now nine years into his major-league career, Woodruff was asked how he’d like to be remembered if his attempted comeback ends up not being in Milwaukee.
“Woo. Lord have mercy,” he said as he sat back in his chair. “That’s kind of a tough question. I haven’t thought that far ahead. That’s kind of a deeper question maybe we can revisit at another time. But look, on the bright side, I’ve got a pretty cool bobblehead today and I’m trying to look forward to that.
“Seems to me that everybody remembers the home run (off Clayton Kershaw in the 2018 NLCS), so if I’m remembered by the home run and this bobblehead then I’ll take that. But maybe that’ll be a different conversation for another time.”
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Brandon Woodruff announces he needs season-ending shoulder surgery
Reporting by Todd Rosiak, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Todd Rosiak, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | USA TODAY Network
