Brewers option out Brandon Woodruff to activate Chase Anderson

DENVER - It's been an interesting rookie season to say the least for Brandon Woodruff.

After making a short but effective start in a big comeback victory for the Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday night at Coors Field, the right-hander was optioned back to Class AAA Colorado Springs.

The move allowed the Brewers to reinstate Chase Anderson from the disabled list, and he took the mound for the first time in seven weeks on Sunday against the Colorado Rockies.

Woodruff, meanwhile, made the short trek south to rejoin the Sky Sox disappointed but with the knowledge he certainly factors into the Brewers' plans moving forward – both this season and beyond.

"He did a nice job in his first three starts," manager Craig Counsell said. "We're not going to need a fifth starter until September. He'll be back in September, and he's certainly going to figure into the innings then, for sure."

Woodruff rocketed through the minor leagues over the past two seasons, opening 2016 at advanced Class A Brevard County, finishing at Class AA Biloxi and being named the Brewers' minor-league pitcher of the year in the process.

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He opened this season at Colorado Springs and pitched well enough to have been recalled to make his major-league debut in Game 1 of a doubleheader in St. Louis on June 13. But in a cruel twist, he strained his hamstring warming up 30 minutes before he was scheduled to pitch and wound up on the DL.

Woodruff eventually returned to action and made his debut a memorable one on Aug. 4. as he pitched 6 1/3 shutout innings with six strikeouts to beat the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field.

He dropped his next start to the Minnesota Twins but still pitched relatively well. He made his third start on Saturday and had allowed five hits and one run over 4 2/3 innings before being pulled for fellow rookie Josh Hader as Counsell played for matchups.

Hader got the out he needed after just two pitches, but the Rockies eventually went on to tie the game before the Brewers scored three in the ninth to win it.

"These are big games, certainly. They're meaningful games," Counsell said. "You walk in the clubhouse last night, Brandon Woodruff knows he was in a huge game. He knows the focus is about winning the game last night, so you're doing whatever you can to win the game. Last year, does Brandon Woodruff keep pitching in the game? Maybe he does.

"He gets that. He feels that. And I think they're meaningful experiences for him."

Knowing full well the Brewers would need to make a move to reinstate Anderson for Sunday, Woodruff spoke about the likelihood he'd be the odd man out before he'd actually been informed of the move.

"I mean, it is what it is," he said. "If that happens, so be it. You just go down and try to get better and try to come back as quick as you can to help the team win."

Woodruff, who went 1-1 with a 1.62 ERA in his three starts, noted that his performance gives him something to build on moving forward.

"It definitely gives you some confidence, coming in and giving the team chances to win," he said. "Come in here and pitch in a tough place, it gives you some confidence, for sure."

Counsell said he made it clear to Woodruff that he'll be back in the mix soon enough.

"It sends him down knowing he's going to play a part in this moving forward in September. I think that's the biggest thing," said Counsell. "And that's what we told him. I said, 'You're going to pitch meaningful innings for us in the month of September.'

"Nobody wants to go back down. But I think knowing that you're coming back shortly and you're going to play a part, hopefully, in some big games is something to look forward to."

With left-hander Brent Suter due to come off the DL at some point in the next couple weeks, Counsell will have some options with regard to both his rotation and the bullpen as the Brewers make their final push down the stretch.

"We certainly have options," he said. "We certainly have faith in Brandon going out there and making a start, or Suter going out there and making a start. Suter’s done a nice job out of the bullpen before with some length.

"We definitely will have some choices with how we use these guys. We have some off-days in September, too. So we’ll just keep going day by day and figuring out the best way to do it."