Woodruff reports to Brewers camp with clear message for fans

PHOENIX -- Brandon Woodruff reported to Brewers camp with a message for fans worried about reports that he¡¯s shy of 100 percent for the start of Spring Training.

¡°I read some of the stuff that comes out and people think I¡¯m hurt, that I¡¯ve had a setback. I haven¡¯t had a setback,¡± said the right-hander, who turned 32 this week and is about 16 months into a comeback from right shoulder surgery. ¡°I want to make this clear: When you have a surgery, especially a shoulder surgery, you have to do things differently and you have to build up differently.

¡°My progression is going to be a little bit slower. It¡¯s not that I¡¯ve had a setback, because I haven¡¯t. I¡¯m having to build up a little bit slower. But I¡¯m doing great.¡±

For evidence of that, there was this nugget of news: Woodruff has been cleared to face hitters for the first time since his last Brewers start in Miami in September 2023, the day his velocity dipped before Woodruff missed the ¡®23 postseason and underwent a capsule repair in his shoulder that October.

He expects to throw about 20 pitches in a live batting practice session on Friday at American Family Fields of Phoenix, putting Woodruff right in line with the other Brewers pitchers.

¡°I¡¯m looking forward to that being the next little hurdle to get over,¡± he said.

As for when he¡¯ll pitch in an exhibition game, or a regular-season game, that¡¯s all to be determined. Two factors will dictate the timeline. One, recovery. Can he routinely bounce back from high-intensity throwing sessions to handle the rigors of the starting rotation? Two, mechanics. Can he reproduce his old, easy velocity? He¡¯s watched video of every one of his twice-per-week bullpen sessions to identify flaws, and he is banking on a velocity jump with hitters in the batter¡¯s box on Friday.

The Brewers and Woodruff are on the same page about proceeding cautiously.

¡°It¡¯s got to be open-ended,¡± manager Pat Murphy said. ¡°Shoulder surgery is way different and less predictable than Tommy John [elbow surgery], especially for a guy that his ¡®angry¡¯ fastball is what made him so special. A hitter knew it was coming, and he still threw it -- you don¡¯t find many of them left.¡±

Woodruff is one of a handful of pitchers on the medical report as camp opens. Wednesday brought news of a setback for left-hander DL Hall, who has a lat injury and will be shut down from throwing for several more weeks, putting into question his candidacy for a starting rotation spot. Righty reliever Abner Uribe will go slow as he comes back from right knee surgery last season. Closer Trevor Megill, who is stepping in for Devin Williams, has been pushed back by some minor health issues in recent throwing sessions but seems ¡°fine,¡± Murphy said. And left-handed prospect Robert Gasser remains on track for an August or September return from Tommy John surgery.

Other rotation spots are spoken for. Only the timing was surprising when Murphy told reporters on Wednesday that Freddy Peralta was on track to be the Brewers¡¯ pick to start a second consecutive Opening Day. Newcomer Nestor Cortes, reigning Brewers pitcher of the year Tobias Myers and Aaron Civale would follow in some order, with Aaron Ashby and Elvin Rodriguez among the candidates after that.

¡°[GM] Matt [Arnold] and his guys will get us guys. Who knew who Tobias Myers was last year?¡± Murphy said. ¡°He established himself as pretty damn good. We¡¯re going to have a bunch of that.¡±

Somewhere in that mix is Woodruff, who has had plenty of counsel during his long comeback. Dr. Keith Meister monitored his comeback at each step, as did the Brewers¡¯ rehab team. Woodruff has had enormous help from Ashby, who needed about 16 months after his own shoulder surgery to finally regain the zip on his fastball during a promising late-season surge last year. He stayed at Woodruff¡¯s house during that time and they talked constantly about shoulders, Woodruff said.

All told Woodruff the same thing: This takes patience.

¡°It¡¯s kind of like, take the calendar and throw it out the window,¡± Woodruff said. ¡°I have these things in my mind, like, ¡®Will it be June or July when I have my stuff back?¡¯ I don¡¯t know, maybe it comes quicker. That would be great. If not, will it come back in August and September when I¡¯m getting close to the two-year mark? There¡¯s a lot of things that can happen. It takes time. Patience has been the hardest thing for me.

¡°It¡¯s not fear, but I¡¯m anxious about Friday, ready, excited about Friday. Once I get through that, we check off that day and go to the next one.¡±