Brewers pitcher Brandon Woodruff returns to IL with right shoulder inflammation

The NL Central-leading Milwaukee Brewers are losing one of their top starting pitchers yet again with a shoulder injury.

Brandon Woodruff was placed on the 15-day injured list with right shoulder inflammation by the Brewers after he left Saturday's 4-3 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks. In the fourth inning, Woodruff struck out Adrian Del Castillo on a changeup, but showed discomfort following what was his 61st pitch of the game.

Brewers manager Pat Murphy then decided to take Woodruff out. Prior to the Del Castillo strikeout, Woodruff's velocity continued to drop. His fastball decreased from 92.5 mph to 86.6 and his changeup dropped from 82.9 mph to 76.6. The changeup that struck out Del Castillo was clocked at 75.1 mph.

"Kind of just a slow progression of… I guess 'discomfort' is the best word," Woodruff said after the game, via the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Curt Hogg. "You could kind of just see that… something's not right."

"Too early to tell but based off the tests after I came out, it seems like it's very similar to what I experienced before," he added.

Woodruff, 33, previously went on the IL on May 1, also with right shoulder inflammation, after showing reduced velocity in the second inning in his start versus the D-Backs.

The right-hander was sidelined for six weeks, returning to the Brewers' rotation on June 22 when he allowed just one hit with 10 strikeouts against the Cincinnati Reds. But he made only two other starts before this latest shoulder issue developed again.

"It took six weeks for him to come back, and then he throws two starts, and then this," Murphy said after Saturday's game, via MLB.com. "So we've got to get a better opinion on where we are right now. I think we'll get that and move forward."

Woodruff has previously dealt with serious shoulder injuries, undergoing surgery on his right shoulder performed by prominent orthopedic surgeon — and head physician for the Texas Rangers — Dr. Keith Meister in 2023. He was sidelined for the entire 2024 season while recovering from the procedure.

Last year, a right lat strain sent Woodruff to the IL and he was eventually shut down in mid-September. He finished with 64 2/3 innings in 12 starts, compiling a 3.20 ERA, 7-2 record and 83 strikeouts.

The Brewers went into Sunday's game leading the NL Central by six games with a 54-33 record. Woodruff was third among Milwaukee's starting pitchers with a 2.98 ERA in nine starts, behind Jacob Misiorowski (an MLB-leading 1.47) and Kyle Harrison (2.82).