The Milwaukee Brewers advanced to the National League Championship Series on Saturday night after defeating the Chicago Cubs in a dramatic winner-take-all Game 5. The victory sends Milwaukee into a matchup with the Los Angeles Dodgers — but they’ll be without one of their most important arms.
Right-hander Brandon Woodruff will not be included on the Brewers’ NLCS roster as he continues to recover from a lat strain suffered in mid-September. Woodruff last pitched on Sept. 17, when he threw five innings and allowed one run while striking out nine.
Since then, the two-time All-Star has missed the remainder of the regular season and all postseason action to date. Despite optimism earlier in the month, Woodruff has yet to resume throwing, making his exclusion from the roster an expected decision.
The timeline for a potential World Series return also appears uncertain. “I’m not ready to answer that question yet,” Woodruff said. “I’ve been trying to get ready. Each day is better and better for me. I don’t know what tomorrow looks like, but these past two or three weeks have been good for me and we’ll see what happens. It’s too early to make a call on anything.”
In Woodruff’s absence, the Brewers will rely heavily on their remaining rotation depth, including Freddy Peralta and a mix of Quinn Priester, Jacob Misiorowski, Chad Patrick and veteran José Quintana. Milwaukee’s pitching staff has been a strength all year, but surviving a deep Dodgers lineup without Woodruff will be its toughest challenge yet.