Milwaukee Brewers right-hander Brandon Woodruff exited Thursday’s game against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the second inning after his velocity plummeted.
Woodruff was throwing in the mid-80s, approximately seven to 10 mph slower than usual.
He faced six batters over 1 1/3 innings before manager Pat Murphy, pitching coach Chris Hook and trainer Brad Epstein came to the mound after he allowed a bloop single to Lourdes Gurriel Jr. The visit was brief and Woodruff left the game.
“He wasn’t himself,” Murphy told a television reporter during a mid-game interview. “He felt like, felt kind of dead. He said he didn’t feel any pain, just nothing was coming out.
“We’ve seen a little bit of this, but never at this level, where he can’t get the ball over 85 mph. He’s so important to us. We’re not going to risk anything, maybe long-term by having him try to step on it.”
Woodruff struck out two and walked one and Gurriel’s hit was the lone one he allowed during the 21-pitch outing.
The Brewers figure to be cautious with Woodruff since he underwent shoulder surgery in 2023 and missed the entire 2024 season. The two-time All-Star returned to make 12 starts last season and went 7-2 with a 3.20 ERA.
Woodruff, 33, is 2-1 with a 3.60 ERA in six starts this season. He is 55-29 with a 3.13 ERA in 147 career appearances (132 starts) entering Thursday since reaching the majors with Milwaukee in 2017.
