CLEVELAND (AP) — Milwaukee pitcher Brandon Woodruff won’t return to the majors quite as early as expected.
Brewers manager Pat Murphy announced before Monday night's game at Cleveland that Woodruff is dealing with tendinitis in his right ankle.
The issue had bothered the two-time All-Star right-hander during a rehabilitation appearance Sunday with Triple-A Nashville, causing the Brewers to delay Woodruff’s long-awaited return from a shoulder injury.
Woodruff threw 39 pitches in 2 1/3 innings against Norfolk before coming out with the injury. He allowed one run and two hits and struck out three.
The 32-year old Woodruff last pitched in a big league game on Sept. 23, 2023. The Brewers announced just before the start of their 2023 NL wild-card series with Arizona that Woodruff wouldn’t be available because of a shoulder problem. He underwent surgery that October and has been working his way back since.
Woodruff can't pitch for a Brewers minor-league affiliate for at least seven days. Murphy said the revised plan is for Woodruff to test the ankle for a couple of minor league starts.
“He tried to pitch on it and it didn’t go well in terms of how he felt," Murphy said. "Our pitching guys and him, they all got together with the front office and Woody made the decision: ‘I’m not going to come back yet.’”
Woodruff's ankle issue represents the latest setback for a Brewers pitching staff that also has Aaron Civale (left hamstring), Nestor Cortes (left elbow), DL Hall (left lat), Aaron Ashby (right oblique) and Robert Gasser (left elbow) on the injured list.
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
FILE - Milwaukee Brewers' Brandon Woodruff looks on during the eighth inning of a baseball game against the Kansas City Royals, April 1, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Aaron Gash, File)
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Matthew Tkachuk is back on the ice with the Florida Panthers, appearing at practice on Sunday for the first time this season and more than four months after he had surgery to repair a sports hernia and torn adductor muscle.
Tkachuk has not played since Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final, when the Panthers clinched their second consecutive title by again topping the Edmonton Oilers. He went through the summer trying to rehab — but eventually decided that he needed the surgery.
He was wearing a yellow non-contact jersey, an indication that he's not yet ready for game action. Florida plays host to Washington on Monday and Montreal on Tuesday, then will be the home team for the NHL Winter Classic at the Miami Marlins' ballpark against the New York Rangers on Friday.
The Panthers are scheduled to practice at the ballpark on Thursday.
After the Panthers won their second straight Stanley Cup in June, Tkachuk revealed that he had sustained the injuries while playing for Team USA in the 4 Nations Face-Off in February. He missed the final 25 games of the regular season but returned for Game 1 of the Panthers’ first-round series against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Tkachuk had 23 points — eight goals and 15 assists — in 23 playoff games, including seven points in the Stanley Cup Final.
The Panthers have been without a slew of key players all season, including captain Aleksander Barkov. They entered Sunday tied for the second and final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference, only five points out of the lead in the Atlantic Division.
Florida has gone through this season with the expectation that Tkachuk would be back on a “December-ish” timeline. He has said he wants to play in the Winter Classic, the Panthers' first outdoor game, and for Team USA at the Milan Cortina Olympics in February.
AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
FILE - Florida Panthers left wing Matthew Tkachuk (19) scuffles with Carolina Hurricanes players during the second period in Game 3 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Eastern Conference finals Saturday, May 24, 2025, in Sunrise, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky, File)
