Rastall Ramblings: Snakebitten Woodruff Reaches Career Crossroads

One of the most painful experiences of following sports is rooting for an exceptional athlete whose career is derailed due to injury issues. Sadly, Brandon Woodruff looks like he won’t be able to escape having that sort of “what-if” tag attached to his career.

The latest injury setback for Woodruff is a total gut punch for him, his teammates and Brewers fans, as the team announced last weekend that Woodruff will require season-ending shoulder capsule surgery.

This is the second time Woodruff has needed anterior capsule surgery on his throwing shoulder, the other being back in 2023 and caused him to miss the entire 2024 season.

Woodruff is getting this surgery with the intention of returning to a major league mound and told reporters that he’s “not having a funeral.” However, this very well could mark the end of Woodruff’s accomplished career in Milwaukee.

Though elbow injuries and Tommy John surgeries are no longer the career killers for pitchers that they used to be, shoulder capsule injuries continue to be exceptionally tough for players to return from. Coming back from a second such surgery is basically unheard of.

Johan Santana is perhaps the most famous example of a dominant pitcher whose career was derailed by needing anterior capsule surgery to his throwing shoulder. Like Woodruff, Santana missed an entire season due to his surgery. In his 11th start since coming back from the surgery, he threw the first no-hitter in New York Mets history.

In early 2013, Santana tore his shoulder capsule again, got the surgery and never made it back to the majors.

Hopefully Woodruff can defy the odds and find his way back to the MLB to at least serve in a bullpen role or something more limited than a full-time starter. It just seems like such a longshot though.

If this is truly it, Woodruff wraps up in his career with a 55-30 record and a 3.10 ERA in Milwaukee, giving him the lowest ERA of any pitcher in franchise history who threw at least 500 innings.

Even after his first shoulder surgery, Woodruff found a way to remain effective when he was able to stay on the field. He lost velocity but showed his crafty veteran bona fides, posting a 3.20 ERA in 12 starts in 2025 and a 2.98 ERA in nine starts this season.

Unfortunately, another injury always seemed to be waiting around the corner for Woodruff. Whether it’s a miraculous return to the mound or some sort of role within the organization, hopefully the Brewers can find a way to keep Woodruff around because he’s one of the team’s longest-tenured players and an obvious clubhouse asset.

For now, all we can do is rue that such a brilliant career has been robbed from Woodruff and us fans.