Milwaukee Brewers starter Brandon Woodruff left in the fourth inning of the team’s 4-3 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks in Phoenix, walking off with a trainer after striking out Adrian Del Castillo on a 3-2 pitch.
Warning Signs
The warning signs were there well before Woodruff left the game. In the first inning, he averaged 91 mph with his fastball and 83 mph with his changeup, but by the fourth inning, those numbers had dropped to 86.6 and 76.6 mph, respectively.
He was lifted following a visit from manager Pat Murphy, athletic trainer Brad Epstein and pitching coach Chris Hook.
“First inning was fine, then it was kind of a slow progression of discomfort,” Woodruff said. “It’s kind of the life of my shoulder. You hope that it will hold on until the end of the year and then you reassess and make some adjustments. But it’s kind of popped up on me here.”, per ESPN
Today’s moves pic.twitter.com/OJE6UP00Iw
— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) July 5, 2026
Back to Injured List
Murphy said after the game that Woodruff would likely be put back on the injured list.
It was only his third start since returning from a stint on the IL for right shoulder inflammation, which had previously caused a velocity dip in an April 30 outing, also against Arizona.
The right-hander has made just 32 starts since 2023, missing all of 2024 after surgery to repair the anterior capsule in his shoulder. “It’s kind of frustrating dealing with this,” Woodruff said. “It’s like it comes in waves”
