MILWAUKEE (AP) — Milwaukee pitcher Brandon Woodruff isn’t giving up hope on the long-shot possibility he could return from his shoulder injury in time to pitch in the World Series if the Brewers advance that far.
The two-time All-Star last pitched on July 4 and wasn’t included on the Brewers’ roster for their NL Division Series against the San Diego Padres. Woodruff conceded he wouldn’t be ready in time for a potential NL Championship Series that would begin next weekend, but he’s holding out hope of being ready if the Brewers earn their first World Series berth since 1982.
“How many times do you get a chance to pitch in the World Series?” Woodruff said Saturday while sitting alongside teammate Christian Yelich at a news conference before the NLDS opener. “Yeli has been playing a long time. This is my ninth year. We’ve never gotten to do it. It may be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and I understand the repercussions that could come with that. But I’m at a point where I’m OK with it.”
Woodruff had indicated in mid-July he would have anterior capsule surgery on his right shoulder.
But he learned in August that his injury wouldn’t require an operation, opening up a remote possibility he could be ready for the postseason.
“I’m progressing, getting to a point where I can get off the mound here pretty soon,” Woodruff said. “Last few throwing progressions or times out, throwing has been pretty good. Just trying to get to a spot where I’m comfortable and can get off the mound. And last few, I’ve been doing pretty good.”
Woodruff has spent his entire big league career with the Brewers, and his 3.10 ERA is the franchise best for pitchers with 500 or more innings for Milwaukee.
A shoulder injury prevented him from pitching in the 2023 playoffs and caused him to have anterior capsule surgery later that year. Woodruff didn't pitch again until July 2025, and a lat strain kept him out of that postseason.
The 33-year-old right-hander is 2-2 with a 2.98 ERA in nine starts this year. Teammates say his contributions go well beyond those numbers.
“He’s meant everything to this club, especially to a guy like myself,” Game 2 starter Logan Henderson said. “You wouldn’t know that he’s hurt by the way he carries himself in the clubhouse and in the dugout. He’s been an incredible leader. I’ve learned so much from him this year, especially the last few months. He works his tail off every single day. I know he’s trying to get back right now. So he makes our team better, even when he’s not pitching.”
Woodruff went on the injured list in early May after a reduction in his velocity caused him to leave a game in the second inning. He returned in late June and he dealt with another velocity dip during a July 4 start at Arizona and hasn’t pitched since.
“He’s earned so much respect because most of these guys don’t know the old Woody, they don’t know the guy that stood there pumping high 90s and attacking,” manager Pat Murphy said. “But they know what they’ve seen when he’s pitched for us at 92 like he’s got 99 and very effective.
“That’s the beauty of what Woody has done. He’s been super effective with whatever’s coming up, and they see that and they (have) respect for it. So his words matter in there.”
Although the Brewers are making their eighth playoff appearance in nine years, Woodruff’s last postseason appearance came back in 2021.
“Things still have to go right for me leading up to this,” Woodruff said. “The team has to play great. We’ve got to put ourselves in that position. But I’m at least going through the proper steps to try to give myself an opportunity. And obviously the clock’s ticking here with the amount of days.
“But I always have a belief that I can get guys out at any moment, and I think that will never leave me."
See AP’s full MLB coverage here
FILE - Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Brandon Woodruff throws during the first inning of a baseball game against the Chicago Cubs, June 28, 2026, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Kayla Wolf, File)
The co-pilot suspected in this week's FlyDubai attack has been identified as an Omani national, and the United Arab Emirates says he attacked the captain with the cockpit's crash ax before trying to seize the controls.
Meanwhile, a hospital in Gaza says Israeli strikes have killed five people, including two from the Palestinian territory's Christian minority. And a fire broke out at an oil facility in the Saudi capital, with no details released on the cause.
Here is the latest news from the Middle East on Saturday. Full coverage is available here.
The co-pilot suspected of stabbing the captain of an Israel-bound FlyDubai flight before passengers and others stopped the attack is an Omani national named Hamam al-Hammami, said three people with knowledge of the situation, including a Gulf and a Western diplomat.
All spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to speak to the media. The Gulf diplomat said that investigations are underway to establish whether he acted alone.
The United Arab Emirates said that the co-pilot attacked the captain with the cockpit’s crash ax and tried to take control of the plane in a “terrorist attack.”
The co-pilot, who officials said nearly crashed the sharply plummeting flight with 182 people aboard, was barred from flying by Oman over concerns he had adopted extremist views, a separate person familiar with the matter said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss the ongoing investigation.
— By Samy Magdy, Sam Mednick, Anna Johnson
Israeli strikes overnight in Gaza killed five people, according to Shifa Hospital, where the casualties were taken. Four women were among those killed. A mother and daughter among them were Christians, a minority in Gaza, the hospital said, and the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, expressed condolences.
A large fire burned at the site, where the strikes tore a gaping hole in the ground floor of a multistory building. The hospital said that people were still reported missing beneath the debris.
Israel's military didn't immediately comment, saying it was checking for information.
Israeli strikes have killed at least 1,439 Palestinians in Gaza since a ceasefire was reached with the Hamas militant group nearly a year ago, according to the territory’s Health Ministry. Its figures are seen as generally reliable by U.N. agencies and independent experts. It doesn't give a breakdown of civilians and militants.
Israel says it is targeting Hamas and other militants who pose a threat, and in response to ceasefire violations, including occasional attacks.
Israel's army said Saturday that it killed the most senior Hamas figure in Gaza and the right hand man to Yahya Sinwar, a chief architect of the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks on Israel.
Ali Ahmed Al-Amoudi was killed in an apartment used by Hamas, said the army. It said he was the deputy chairman for Hamas' political bureau and that he was involved in decision-making surrounding the group's attacks that sparked the war.
The army said Al-Amoudi took part in an attack in the West Bank in 1993 in which four Israelis were killed and in the killing of an officer the year later in Ramallah.
It said that today he is directly involved in rebuilding Hamas' capabilities to fight.
A fire broke out at an oil facility in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, sending dense black smoke into the air, a witness said on condition of anonymity for safety reasons.
It wasn’t clear what caused the fire at an Aramco oil refinery. Authorities tightened security in the area and police blocked roads leading to it, the witness said.
The Saudi state-run Aramco oil company and the government-run Center for International Communication, which oversees foreign media in Saudi Arabia, didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.
Saudi oil facilities have recently been hit in missile and drone attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels and Iranian-backed militias in Iraq. A major escalation between Saudi Arabia and the Iran-backed Houthis has revived Yemen’s civil war.
— By Samy Magdy
Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen said that airstrikes hit the capital, Sanaa, as renewed fighting raged between the Houthis on one side and Saudi Arabia and Yemen's internationally recognized government on the other. Residents reported hearing three loud explosions.
The Houthi media office accused Saudi Arabia of launching the strikes but didn’t offer evidence. There was no immediate Saudi comment.
Yemen’s military claimed responsibility. In a social media post, a spokesperson, Col. Majed al-Nazili, said that “legitimate vital military targets” were hit. He didn’t offer details.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said Saturday that the U.S. blockade of the Strait of Hormuz is “ironclad” and that President Donald Trump has “all the options he needs on the table” if Iran continues to “play games” with the strait.
“Iran wants to play games with things like the Strait of Hormuz. They don’t control it, we do,” Hegseth told reporters. “They have literally gotten nothing through. Our blockade has been ironclad and we’re running almost at pre-war levels every single night through that, you see that as far as the throughput.”
He added: “So we feel like we’re in a very strong position. Iran ought make the right choice. If they don’t, the president is going to have all the options he needs on the table. But he is not going to let these things extend unnecessarily. He understands what the mission is and we can get it done when called upon.”
This report will be updated throughout the day as new developments emerge.
Mourners pray over the bodies of Palestinians who were killed in an early morning Israeli airstrike, during their funeral in Gaza city, Saturday, Oct. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
A destroyed building is seen at the site of an early morning Israeli airstrike in Gaza city, Saturday, Oct. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
Palestinians inspect the site of an early morning Israeli airstrike in Gaza city, Saturday, Oct. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
