Brandon Woodruff leaves start early again with apparent injury
· Yahoo Sports
PHOENIX – Just as he did the last time he faced the Arizona Diamondbacks, Milwaukee Brewers starter Brandon Woodruff departed his start early with an apparent injury July 4 at Chase Field.
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Woodruff came out for the fourth inning with a 85.8 mph fastball and never got above 87.3 in a strikeout to Gabriel Moreno. After that, seven of his final eight pitches before being removed were changeups, including four straight between 73 and 75 mph – more than 7 mph below his season average.
Athletic trainer Brad Epstein paid a visit to the mound alongside pitching coach Chris Hook and manager Pat Murphy. Shortly after, Woodruff walked off the mound.
Woodruff was making his third start since returning from the injured list with a right shoulder impingement resulting from "dead arm" symptoms he experienced the last time he faced Arizona on April 30.
As Woodruff walked off the mound, he couldn't hide a look of dejection.
When healthy, he has continued to be a reliable front-end starter, as he displayed with 11 2/3 scoreless innings since returning from the injured list in June.
His injury history, however, has continuously kept him from staying on the mound.
It began with a torn labrum in September 2023 that required major reconstructive anterior capsule surgery. Woodruff returned from that almost a year ago to the day on July 6 and, with a 3.20 ERA, had the look of an effective playoff starter until a right lat strain cost him the postseason.
Returning on a one-year, $22.05 million qualifying offer, Woodruff had a slow ramp-up in spring training but made five solid starts before exiting the start at home against the Diamondbacks with his fastball sitting at 84 to 86 mph.
Woodruff and the Brewers hoped the dead-arm issues that arose in that outing had gone away during a two-month layoff. Through Woodruff's first two starts back, signs were encouraging.
But then came the all-too familiar scene in Phoenix.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Brandon Woodruff leaves start early again with apparent injury