Milwaukee Brewers DVOA, Stats, & MLB Rankings

X-rays revealed that Milwaukee Brewers catcher William Contreras (finger) has a fracture of the middle finger on his catching hand, according to MLB.com's Adam McCalvy. It's an old fracture that has bothered Contreras for some time, but he will continue to play through it. The Brewers are working with the All-Star catcher to make a splint for his finger to absorb some of the impact that he takes on a daily basis. He will continue to catch. It helps explain why the 27-year-old Venezuelan backstop has been rather quiet to start the 2025 season at the plate. Heading into Wednesday's action, Contreras has hit .242/.358/.331 with a career-low .689 OPS, three home runs, two doubles, 19 RBI, 19 runs scored and four stolen bases in 35 games played. Contreras isn't in the starting lineup on Wednesday versus the Houston Astros, with Eric Haas doing the catching and batting eighth against Astros left-hander Framber Valdez.

Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Brandon Woodruff (shoulder) had another successful rehab start on Tuesday with Triple-A Nashville. Woodruff pitched five innings, allowing two runs on seven hits (including a solo home run) and a walk with six strikeouts over 83 pitches. The 32-year-old has now made two starts with High-A Wisconsin and three with Nashville, allowing eight runs (seven earned) on 22 hits, seven walks, and 22 strikeouts in 23 1/3 IP. Woodruff missed all of the 2024 season due to right shoulder surgery, but he has been trending in the right direction to making his 2025 debut. While he has been a fantasy ace in the past, fantasy managers may want to temper expectations even though he has pitched well in his rehab assignment.

Milwaukee Brewers catcher William Contreras (finger) has been playing through a finger injury so painful that the team conducted X-rays on it Tuesday, per MLB.com's Adam McCalvy. Contreras started in Tuesday's 4-3 win over the Astros, going 0-for-3 with a walk and two strikeouts. He also threw out Jose Altuve trying to steal a base. The injury hasn't negatively impacted his defensive performance, as he leads baseball in throwing runners out. His offensive performance has been down, though, as he's slashing .242/.358/.331 with three home runs, 19 RBI, and four stolen bases. Fantasy managers should keep an eye out for any updates related to his finger, but it seems he may be able to play through it for now.

Milwaukee Brewers right-hander Brandon Woodruff (shoulder) is making another minor-league rehab start with Triple-A Nashville against Triple-A Norfolk on Tuesday night, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Todd Rosiak. Woodruff has looked good in his four rehab starts to this point with High-A Wisconsin (two starts) and Nashville (two starts), allowing six runs (five earned) on 15 hits while walking six and striking out 16 in 18 1/3 innings. The 32-year-old made it through 5 2/3 frames in his last outing last Wednesday, and if everything goes well on Tuesday night, he might need just one more minor-league outing before coming off the injured list to make his 2025 debut for the Brewers. Woodruff has been an ace in the past, but fantasy managers might want to temper expectations initially after he missed all of the 2024 campaign due to right-shoulder surgery.

Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Sal Frelick (knee) remains out of the lineup on Tuesday but is hoping to return to action on Friday. According to Jack Stern of the Brewer Fanatic, the outfielder is feeling better and was able to do some light jogging and even took swings in the batter's cage. Fantasy managers should keep an eye on his status leading up to their contest on Friday evening against the Tampa Bay Rays. The 25-year-old suffered this injury during their contest against the Chicago Cubs on Sunday. Through his first 35 games of the season, Frelich has enjoyed a strong start, holding a .297/.381/.398 slash line with five doubles, two triples, and seven stolen bases. While he remains sidelined, Jake Bauers should continue to see time in right field.