The Milwaukee Brewers may be without one of their best pitchers in right-hander Brandon Woodruff long-term.
Woodruff landed on the 15-day injured list with right shoulder inflammation last week, marking the second time this season he has been sidelined with the same issue.
Unfortunately, this time around, it figures to keep Woodruff out for a matter of months rather than just weeks, which is a significant blow considering how well he has pitched this year.
Across nine starts, the 33-year-old veteran has posted a 2.98 ERA with 47 strikeouts in 45 1/3 innings of work.
Brewers manager Pat Murphy revealed the latest update on Woodruff's condition before Wednesday's game against the St. Louis Cardinals.
Murphy said the results of his MRI were inconclusive and that more testing would be required, according to Adam McCalvy of MLB.com.
Unfortunately, the Brewers then released their own update minutes later, revealing the MRI showed a new injury to the anterior shoulder capsule (h/t Jack Stern of Brewer Fanatic). Woodruff is now set to get a second opinion from Dr. Meister, the same physician who performed his shoulder surgery back in 2023.
With Woodruff's return this season in serious doubt, the Brewers have no choice but to find a way to replace him. They are once again having an excellent season, entering Wednesday with a 58-33 record and a firm hold on first place in the National League Central.
They could look internally for a replacement, but they could also decide to go for it and pursue a pitcher on the trade market.
According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, the Brewers may not be in the mix for two-time Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal.
However, Rosenthal adds that because Milwaukee has significant depth in their system, they can make multiple smaller moves instead of one major one.
The Brewers could potentially acquire Michael Wacha of the Kansas City Royals or Casey Mize of the Detroit Tigers, two pieces that likely would not require the same return as Skubal.
There are also lower-cost options, perhaps even within their own division in right-hander Dustin May of the St. Louis Cardinals.
The Brewers will have some time to decide, as the trade deadline is still a few weeks away. But they must operate with a sense of urgency considering Woodruff may ultimately require season-ending surgery, and getting ahead of that possibility now rather than waiting is the smarter approach for a team with genuine World Series aspirations.
