Luis Robert Jr. and Brandon Woodruff are two players who have been hampered by injuries over the years. And that story continued to play out on the final day of April 2026. Robert Jr. was placed on the injured list with a back injury, while Woodruff was removed from his start after a concerning velocity drop.
Woodruff leaves start
Brewers pitcher Brandon Woodruff left his start in the second inning.
Woodruff’s velocity was down significantly. The last pitch he threw was an 84 MPH cutter before Pat Murphy barked out for time. Overall, his four-seamer averaged only 85 MPH against the D-Backs, down over seven miles per hour from his average a year ago.
Manager Pat Murphy stated after the game that Woodruff believed he was dealing with a dead arm and not hurting physically. However, Murphy indicated that Woodruff would at least receive some time before his next start.
IL placements
The Mets placed outfielder Luis Robert Jr. on the 10-day IL with a herniated disc. The oft-injured outfielder missed several games before the team announced the extent of Robert Jr.’s back injury.
One day after a tough outing against the Rockies, Brandon Williamson of the Reds was placed on the IL with shoulder fatigue.
Phillies reliever Kyle Backhus was placed on the 15-day IL with left elbow inflammation.
Rehab assignments
Mariners pitcher Bryce Miller went four scoreless innings (53 pitches) and struck out four for Triple-A Tacoma. Miller averaged 97 MPH at the start, well above where he was last season.
Andrew Vaughn & Jackson Chourio both went 1-3 with a walk and a strikeout for Triple-A Nashville.
Yankees pitcher Carlos Rodon struck out eight over 5.1 IP for Double-A Somerset. Rodon threw 75 total pitches in the outing.
Tigers infielder Zach McKinstry went 0-3 with a strikeout for Low-A Lakeland.
Other notes
Tyler Soderstrom (neck) did not play on April 30, while Vinnie Pasquantino (back) came off the bench for the Royals.
Braves manager Michael Harris II, who has been nursing a quad injury, is expected to DH for the Braves during their upcoming road trip, per manager Walt Weiss.
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