What to know about Brandon Woodruff's reported return to the Brewers, injury update, contract, salary, stats

When Corbin Burnes was traded to the Baltimore Orioles earlier this month, it appeared to signal that the Milwaukee Brewers' future didn't include their top two pitchers from the past few years.

As it turns out, the Brewers are only losing Burnes. The team's other ace — Brandon Woodruff — will be back after he reportedly signed a two-year deal as a free agent.

However, Brewers fans likely won't see him pitch until 2025 after he had offseason shoulder surgery.

Even so, the dejection many fans may have felt after the team lost Burnes appeared to shift a bit, at least on social media, with the announcement of Woodruff's return — even if he probably won't take the mound this upcoming season. His teammates and new manager are also excited.

Here's what to know about Woodruff and some instant reactions on his return:

What is Brandon Woodruff's age?

Woodruff turned 31 on Feb. 10.

What is Brandon Woodruff's contract, salary?

Woodruff has reportedly signed a two-year deal to return to the Brewers, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post. This comes after he was non-tendered by the club last fall, meaning he became a free agent.

He played last season on a one-year, $10.8 million contract.

Brandon Woodruff injury update

Woodruff told the Journal Sentinel's Todd Rosiak a couple weeks after shoulder surgery last fall that he isn't rushing his return but "there is a roadmap to be able to potentially (play in 2024).”

Woodruff said the "good news" was that the tear wasn't as large as initially thought, calling it "just a little tear" and "a cut-and-dried tear" to the capsule.

Woodruff opened the 2023 season with two solid starts but he would soon go on the injured list and missed the next four months with a subscapular strain in his right shoulder. He worked his way back into the rotation by August and returned to his dominant self. He even threw 106 pitches in a complete-game shutout win against the Miami Marlins on Sept. 11.

However, just as the playoffs were about to begin, the Brewers announced he would miss the team's wild-card series with the Arizona Diamondbacks with a right shoulder injury. He would later have surgery, a procedure that needs extensive recovery time.

Woodruff said, despite controlling the injury to the point where he could return last season for the team's playoff push, "it just kind of gave out on me."

"I look at it like I got a brand-new shoulder. I've just got to rehab it right and I'll be just fine, because I've got a lot of years left in my mind to play," Woodruff said in the interview with Rosiak.

Brandon Woodruff stats, career with Brewers

Woodruff has spent his entire career with the Brewers after he was selected in the 11th round of the 2014 draft. He made his major league debut during the 2017 season and would soon lead one of the game's best pitching rotations in recent seasons.

For his career, he’s 46-26 with a 3.10 ERA, 1.045 WHIP and 788 strikeouts in 680⅓ innings pitched. He has pitched in 130 games with 115 starts, all with the Brewers.

Though he missed most the 2023 season, when healthy last year, he was dominant. He finished 5-1 with a 2.28 ERA, 0.821 WHIP and 74 strikeouts across 11 starts.

He made the National League All-Star teams in 2019 and 2021.

Beyond the mound, Woodruff showed he can also hit. One of the biggest moments of his career came at the plate when he hit a home run off future Hall of Famer Clayton Kershaw of the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 1 of the 2018 National League Championship Series in front of the home fans in Milwaukee.

Brewers social media reaction to Brandon Woodruff news

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Brandon Woodruff injury update, contract, reaction on Brewers return