The Milwaukee Brewers will have to wait a little longer for Brandon Woodruff to get back to the major leagues.

Woodruff was struck by a line drive yesterday on his right elbow during a rehab start with Nashville, the Brewers’ affiliate in Triple-A. He was diagnosed with a contusion, which means he avoided structural damage.

The injury shouldn’t be much a setback on his road back to Milwaukee. The 32-year-old right-hander was the ace of the Brewers staff and one of the best pitchers in MLB before he got hurt. He has an ERA of 3.10 over his career, spanning from 2017-2023, and made the National League All-Star Team in 2019 and 2021.

A shoulder injury suffered in September 2023 couldn’t have come at a worse time for Woodruff. He was about to become a free agent, and if healthy, would’ve likely signed a nine-figure contract. Instead, he underwent offseason surgery that wiped out his 2024 campaign, and he agreed to a two-year, $17.5 million deal to cover his recovery period.

This is the final year of that contract, so he is eager to return to the rotation for multiple reasons. If he can regain his pre-injury form, a large payday awaits him this winter. Ankle tendinitis earlier this year delayed his rehab, and now his elbow contusion could set him back again. He has a 2.11 ERA in nine rehab appearances.

Milwaukee is in an unusual position with regards to their starting pitching. Even though the club is fighting for a playoff spot with a 34-29 record, one could argue that their Triple-A rotation is as good or better than the one in the big leagues.

Freddy Peralta is an having a typical ace-caliber season, posting a 2.92 ERA in 13 starts. Three other Brewers starters are right behind him, but advanced metrics doubt they can keep up their strong performances.

Rookie Chad Patrick has been a revelation with a 2.97 ERA over 12 starts. A major reason for his success is that he has only allowed five home runs in 63 2/3 innings, but his unsustainably low 5.7% home-runs-to-fly-balls ratio indicates regression could be coming.

Quinn Priester and Jose Quintana have superb ERAs of 3.88 and 2.77 respectively. However, they have two of the lowest strikeout rates of any starting pitchers in MLB this year. Priester is fanning 15.4% of opposing hitters and Quintana is only striking out 16.8%. For reference, the MLB average is 22.0%.

The fifth starter job has cycled through a number of different arms, and right now it’s Aaron Civale’s turn. He hasn’t locked it down, allowing 10 runs in 17 1/3 innings over four starts.

Nashville’s starting pitching has no trouble striking out opposing hitters. In addition to Woodruff, they have several prospects who are primed for major-league success.

Jacob Misiorowski is one of the highest-rated pitching prospects in the game, ranking 71st overall on MLB Pipeline’s top 100. He’s known for a triple-digit fastball and wipeout slider, and he has a 2.31 ERA with a 31.1% strikeout rate in Triple-A this year.

Logan Henderson wasn’t quite as highly regarded as Misiorowski when the season began, but he has turned heads with his performances in Milwaukee and Nashville. In a four-start call-up with the Brewers, he allowed only four runs and 20 baserunners in 21 innings while striking out 29 batters. He has a 2.18 ERA for Nashville with 44 strikeouts in 33 innings.

Carlos Rodriguez has also pitched well for Nashville, compiling a 2.64 ERA over nine starts. Tobias Myers, who excelled as a rookie last year with a 3.00 ERA over 138 innings, has been solid since getting sent down this year.

With his history as an ace—not to mention his contract—Brandon Woodruff has a rotation spot waiting for him once he’s ready. How many of his Nashville teammates join him in Milwaukee remains to be determined, but the franchise’s enviable depth will serve them well down the stretch.