Brandon Woodruff added to Brewers’ 26-man World Series roster

By Vancouver Television Sports Desk

MILWAUKEE — The Milwaukee Brewers have set their 26-man roster for the World Series and made one change ahead of Game 1: right-hander Brandon Woodruff was added in place of Chad Patrick. The announcement comes after a postseason run that included a four-game victory over the San Diego Padres in the NLDS and another four-game win over the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLCS, setting up a World Series matchup against the American League-best Tampa Bay Rays.

Woodruff’s path to the roster stands out because his season had originally been expected to conclude with season-ending surgery after shoulder trouble in August. According to the club’s account, Woodruff was initially scheduled for that procedure and would have been sidelined for the postseason for a fourth straight year. The Brewers said a late comeback became possible after his rehabilitation progressed from throwing and pitching off the mound, including work against hitters.

Milwaukee’s roster decision required additional coordination with Major League Baseball given the nature of Woodruff’s injury. The Brewers reported that, after conferring with MLB in recent days, they had an understanding as of Thursday afternoon that the league would not approve a typical roster replacement if Woodruff were added but later injured, due to the shoulder issue being known in advance.

Because of that, Brewers president of baseball operations Matt Arnold met with Woodruff for what the team described as a direct discussion. In acknowledging both the upside and the uncertainty, Arnold said, “This is a guy that's one of the most successful, dominant big-game pitchers I've ever been around,” while also noting, “A lot of unknowns there, but obviously, the good version of that guy is somebody you'd love to have on your roster.”

The Brewers’ roster retains the same 13-pitcher, 13-position player balance used in the NLDS and NLCS, though two pitchers from that configuration — left-hander Kyle Harrison and right-hander Chad Patrick — did not appear in either series because Milwaukee won both in four games. With Patrick removed from the World Series roster, Woodruff becomes the only personnel change the Brewers made when they submitted the 26-man list prior to Game 1.

Woodruff, 33, is a nine-season member of the Brewers organization. Milwaukee noted that he has played 151 regular-season games with the club and has added eight more appearances across four different postseasons, giving him additional World Series opportunity after the Brewers reached the Fall Classic for the first time in 44 years.

The Brewers’ World Series roster is as follows. Pitchers (13): Aaron Ashby, Shane Drohan, Robert Gasser, DL Hall, Kyle Harrison, Logan Henderson, Dustin May, Trevor Megill, Jacob Misiorowski, JoJo Romero, Antonio Senzatela, Abner Uribe, and Brandon Woodruff. Catchers (2): William Contreras and Gary Sánchez. Infielders (6): Jake Bauers, David Hamilton, Joey Ortiz, Cooper Pratt, Brice Turang, and Andrew Vaughn. Outfielders (5): Jackson Chourio, Sal Frelick, Luis Lara, Garrett Mitchell, and Christian Yelich.

For Milwaukee, the roster choice centers on how quickly Woodruff can manage his shoulder while operating in a high-leverage World Series environment where the Brewers reported MLB approval constraints related to the injury’s known status. With Milwaukee set against Tampa Bay Rays, the club’s next decisions will depend on how Woodruff’s availability and readiness align with the team’s pitching needs in the series schedule beginning with Game 1 on Friday.