The Milwaukee Brewers are close to starting the World Series. Game 1 against the Tampa Bay Rays will be on Friday night, and the Brewers will hope to take advantage of being at home to start the series. However, there are still a couple of things the Brewers need to figure out before setting their roster.
The biggest question mark right now is whether Brandon Woodruff will be able to pitch. He has recovered well from his injury and is healthy enough to be on the roster, but one problem remains. If he gets hurt again, the Brewers cannot replace him according to MLB rules.
Manager Pat Murphy was asked about the possibility of Woodruff being active, and while he seems open to the idea of having him, he also made sure to pump the brakes a bit.
“Obviously it would be great for him, the organization, and he could help us,” Murphy said. “It’s a seven-game series, there’s no man on second in extra innings. You’ve got to be conscious of length. He’s faced five hitters and the injury has continued to be a problem in his life. He’s got a clean bill of health according to the trainers, but if that same injury comes up again, then we can’t replace him. Those are the things that we’ve got to weigh heavily. We’d love to do it, it’s a great story but we’ve got a responsibility to those 20-something guys and to the organization, the city and whoever else we’re responsible to.”
“If that same injury comes up again, then we can’t replace him.”
Pat Murphy Throws Cold Water on Possible Brandon Woodruff Return
It would certainly be a good story to see Woodruff back to help the Brewers and for him to have an opportunity to contribute to their World Series run. However, Murphy is correct that there are things they have to decide on. There could be a reward for having him on the roster, but there are also significant risks.
The Brewers have gotten this far without him on the roster, so they don’t necessarily need to activate him, especially when the rest of the pitching staff has performed well, so it may not be worth the risk to do it, especially if he could get hurt again.
The injury has been a problem for him for years now, and the only way they can replace him is if he suffers a more serious injury. If it’s a repeat of the same injury, then the Brewers are stuck with him on the roster, but unable to pitch.
Brewers’ Pitching Plans for Game 1
The Brewers will be starting Jacob Misiorowski for Game 1 of the series. They have not yet announced what they will do with their rotation for Games 2-4. If Woodruff is active, he could potentially start a game or be used in long relief. Having him start could prevent them from having to do a bullpen game at any point in the series, but they will still want to be careful about how they handle him if he does make the roster.
Pat Murphy Pumps Brakes on Brandon Woodruff’s Possible Return