Connect with us

Published

on

MILWAUKEE — Milwaukee Brewers right-hander Brandon Woodruff will miss the team’s NL wild-card series against the Arizona Diamondbacks due to a shoulder injury, manager Craig Counsell said Monday.

“He has a right shoulder capsular injury,” Counsell said. “We’re working on a second opinion for Brandon over the next couple of days. Frankly, his availability for the whole season is up in the air at this point.”

Woodruff, 30, went 5-1 with a 2.28 ERA over 11 starts this season but missed more than two months because of shoulder inflammation. He returned to the big league roster in August and pitched well, going 4-1 with a 2.13 ERA over eight starts.

In his last regular-season start Saturday, Woodruff struggled against the Miami Marlins, giving up four runs over five innings, and later said he felt some discomfort. However, it wasn’t until he played catch Sunday that he realized something was wrong.

“Had the live (throwing session) the other day and the ball was coming out great, but I didn’t feel that great,” Woodruff said. “I didn’t think anything of it. And then playing catch yesterday is when I first realized it was a very similar thing to what I was having in Arizona before I had that MRI. I basically just went in and told them what I was feeling.”

The news comes one day after the Brewers wrapped up a regular season in which they won 92 games and landed their third NL Central title in six years. Woodruff, as part of a rotation big three along with Corbin Burnes and Freddy Peralta, has been a key part of Milwaukee’s run of success, finishing fifth in the 2021 NL Cy Young balloting.

Woodruff has considerable postseason experience, starting four games and appearing in eight playoff contests dating back to 2018, posting a 3.18 ERA in them. Burnes will take the ball for Milwaukee in Game 1, as Counsell planned, but he declined to name a starter for Game 2, the slot in which Woodruff would have been likely to appear.

“It’s tough to have one of your better arms go down,” Burnes said. “Obviously we don’t know the extent of what’s going on and how long it’s going to be. But it means that it’s another opportunity for another guy to step up and fill his shoes and try to replicate what he would do out there on the mound.”

Woodruff wasn’t ready to give up on the idea of returning should the Brewers advance to what would be an NLDS series against the Los Angeles Dodgers or later in the playoffs. That possible scenario should gain clarity over the next few days as he seeks further medical advice.

“A lot of it is up in the air,” Woodruff said. “I’m going to go get a second opinion. I’m still waiting to figure out all those details in the next few days.”

The Brewers’ staff led the majors this season with a 3.71 ERA and appears to be well positioned to fill the void opened up by Woodruff’s injury, even though the big righty is one of the NL’s top hurlers. In the end, the injury and the bad timing of it might have as much of an emotional impact as anything.

“It just popped up at the wrong time,” Woodruff said. “But maybe it’s also a blessing because maybe I can have it taken care of.”

Woodruff paused as he grew emotional.

“We’ve got a good clubhouse,” he said. “And I want to be a part of that. And, you know, sitting here now, I may not. That’s the hard part.”

Continue Reading

Sports

Tigers’ Baddoo to miss start of regular season

Published

on

By

Tigers' Baddoo to miss start of regular season

LAKELAND, Fla. — Detroit Tigers outfielder Akil Baddoo had surgery to repair a broken bone in his right hand and will miss the start of the regular season.

Manager A.J. Hinch said Friday that Baddoo had more tests done after some continued wrist soreness since the start of spring training. Those tests revealed the hamate hook fracture in his right hand that was surgically repaired Thursday.

Baddoo, 26, who has been with the Tigers since 2021, is at spring training as a non-roster player. He was designated for assignment in December after Detroit signed veteran right-hander Alex Cobb to a $15 million, one-year contract. Baddoo cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Toledo.

Cobb is expected to miss the start of the season after an injection to treat hip inflammation that developed as the right-hander was throwing at the start of camp. He has had hip surgery twice.

Baddoo hit .137 with two homers and five RBIs in 31 games last season. The left-hander has a .226 career average with 28 homers and 103 RBI in 340 games.

After the Tigers acquired him from Minnesota in the Rule 5 draft at the winter meetings in December 2020, Baddoo hit .259 with 13 homers, 55 RBIs, 18 stolen bases and a .330 on-base percentage in 124 games as a rookie in 2021. Those are all career bests.

Baddoo went into camp in a crowded outfield. The six outfielders on Detroit’s 40-man roster include three other left-handed hitters (Riley Greene, Kerry Carpenter and Parker Meadows) and switch-hitter Wenceel Pérez. The other outfielders are right-handers Matt Vierling and Justyn-Henry Malloy.

Continue Reading

Sports

Dodgers’ Miller has no fracture after liner scare

Published

on

By

Dodgers' Miller has no fracture after liner scare

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Bobby Miller still had a bit of a headache but slept fine and felt much better a day after getting hit on the head by a line drive, manager Dave Roberts said Friday.

Roberts said he had spoken with Miller, who was still in concussion protocol after getting struck by a 105.5 mph liner hit by Chicago Cubs first baseman Michael Busch in the first game of spring training Thursday.

The manager said Miller indicated that there was no fracture or any significant bruising.

“He said in his words, ‘I have a hard head.’ He was certainly in good spirits,” Roberts said.

Miller immediately fell to the ground while holding his head, but quickly got up on his knees as medical staff rushed onto the field. The 25-year-old right-hander was able to walk off the field on his own.

“He feels very confident that he can kind of pick up his throwing program soon,” said Roberts, who was unsure of that timing. “But he’s just got to keep going through the concussion protocol just to make sure that we stay on the right track.”

Miller entered spring training in the mix for a spot in the starting rotation. He had a 2-4 record with an 8.52 ERA over 13 starts last season, after going 11-4 with a 3.76 in 22 starts as a rookie in 2023.

Continue Reading

Sports

Brewers OF Perkins (shin) to miss start of season

Published

on

By

Brewers OF Perkins (shin) to miss start of season

PHOENIX — Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Blake Perkins is expected to miss the first month of the season after fracturing his right shin during batting practice.

Brewers manager Pat Murphy revealed the severity of Perkins’ injury before their Cactus League opener Saturday against the Cincinnati Reds.

“They’re estimating another three to four weeks to heal and a ramp-up of four to six weeks,” Murphy said. “So you’re probably looking at May.”

Perkins, 28, batted .240 with a .316 on-base percentage, six homers, 43 RBIs and 23 steals in 121 games last season. He also was a National League Gold Glove finalist at center field.

“Perkins is a big part of our team,” Murphy said. “The chemistry of the team, the whole thing, Perk’s huge. He’s one of the most loved guys on the club, and he’s a great defender, coming into his own as an offensive player. Yeah, it’s going to hurt us.”

Murphy also said right-handed pitcher J.B. Bukauskas has what appears to be a serious lat injury and is debating whether to undergo surgery. Bukauskas had a 1.50 ERA in six relief appearances last year but missed much of the season with a lat issue.

Continue Reading

Trending