One swap on the Brewers’ list
Milwaukee changed exactly one name before Game 1. Right-hander Brandon Woodruff is on the World Series roster, taking the place of fellow righty Chad Patrick. The 26-man list still splits evenly, 13 pitchers and 13 position players.
The best-of-seven series against the Tampa Bay Rays opens Friday night in Milwaukee, the Brewers’ first World Series since 1982.
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A long road back
Woodruff has not pitched in a game since July 4. At 33, he lost most of 2025 to shoulder surgery, and a second operation was on the table this year before it was called off once his shoulder improved. He went 2-2 with a 2.98 ERA in nine regular-season starts.
His buildup has been gradual. He started throwing in late August, worked off a mound during the first two postseason rounds, and threw about two dozen live pitches on Tuesday. Woodruff described himself as wanting to be “an option at this point,” which tells you how Milwaukee plans to use him.
The contract backdrop
Few players on this roster have a stranger year on paper. Woodruff declined his half of a mutual option, took a $10 million buyout, and then accepted a one-year, $22.025 million qualifying offer to stay.
The track record is the reason the Brewers are willing to wait. A two-time All-Star drafted by Milwaukee in 2014, he is 55-30 with a 3.10 ERA since his 2017 debut, and 1-3 with a 3.18 ERA in eight postseason games, four of them starts.
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