Brewers Stun Everyone, Add Brandon Woodruff to World Series Roster After Three-Month Layoff

The Milwaukee Brewers just submitted their World Series roster, and they are officially rolling the dice on a guy who has been on paid vacation since the All-Star break. According to Bob Nightengale, Brandon Woodruff is active for the Fall Classic despite not throwing a single pitch in a real game since July.

Throwing a pitcher into the highest-leverage situation in baseball after a three-month layoff is objectively hilarious. It is the sports equivalent of letting your buddy drive your car on the highway when he just got his learner's permit.

"Bob Nightengale reported: 'Brandon Woodruff, who has not pitched in a game since July, makes the Milwaukee Brewers World Series roster'"

Woodruff has been battling shoulder issues for years, including anterior capsule surgery that wiped out his 2023 postseason. He spent the entire back half of this 103-win Milwaukee season rehabbing, leaving everyone to assume his year was completely cooked.

Now, he is suddenly available just in time for the Tampa Bay Rays to visit Milwaukee starting October 24. For anyone holding a Brewers futures ticket or looking at Game 1 moneylines, this is the ultimate wild card. You are either getting a frontline arm fresh off the shelf, or a guy who is about to serve up batting practice fastballs in the late innings.

Milwaukee clearly thinks the upside is worth the roster spot. When a team wins 103 games, they usually lean on the guys who got them there, but the Brewers are apparently treating the World Series like a rehab assignment.

We will find out exactly how healthy that shoulder is the second he starts warming up in the bullpen. If Woodruff comes in and shuts down Tampa Bay, it is a legendary comeback arc, but if he gets shelled, Milwaukee is going to have a lot of explaining to do.