Brandon Woodruff Injury: Hits five innings in rehab start

Woodruff (shoulder) tossed five scoreless innings Thursday in his latest rehab start at Triple-A Nashville, striking out five batters while allowing two hits and no walks.

After making his first rehab start at Triple-A on April 12, Woodruff moved to High-A Wisconsin for his second outing April 18 before linking back up with Nashville this week. Though the 32-year-old threw 61 pitches Thursday -- seven fewer than his previous start with Wisconsin -- he was highly efficient, facing just two batters over the minimum. After missing the entire 2024 season while recovering from September 2023 capsule surgery on his right shoulder, Woodruff's fastball velocity has been hovering a tick or two below pre-surgery levels during his rehab assignment, but Thursday represented a major step forward in terms of regaining command. The right-hander is likely to make at least one more start in the minors before potentially returning from the 15-day injured list to make his 2025 debut with the Brewers in early May.