The Brewers might decide not to use Brandon Woodruff in the World Series

For the past few days, there has been a possibility that Brandon Woodruff could return to action for the Brewers in the World Series.

Will the pitcher be healthy enough to make his return to the mound, given that he underwent shoulder surgery in July and was expected to miss the rest of the season?

It's possible. And we know he'd love to—he's been in Milwaukee his whole life and wants to give Wisconsin fans a taste of victory.

However, as Ken Rosenthal reports in an article for The Athletic, it's possible that current rules could force the Brewers to abandon the plan.

Basically, the Brewers are worried that Woodruff might get injured and not be able to be replaced on the 26-man roster.

A 26-man postseason roster is set for each series. If a player gets injured and needs to be replaced, he cannot return to the current series or the next one.

So if Woodruff were to get injured, on paper, he could simply be replaced by another pitcher for the remainder of the World Series. But that's just in theory.

In reality, if a player aggravates a pre-existing injury, he cannot be replaced, and his team must play with only 25 players for the remainder of the series.

The Brewers, who haven't changed their pitching staff between the San Diego and Los Angeles series, don't want to take that risk. That's perfectly understandable.

Right now, they're trying to figure out what constitutes a new injury or what counts as an aggravation of a pre-existing injury.

Woodruff is undoubtedly at risk of aggravating his injury if he returns to action for the World Series.

Not only is removing a pitcher from the current rotation unnecessary, but this particular hurdle could force the Brewers to say no to their veteran.

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