Brandon Woodruff

"We have expectations that he'll be part of our rotation," added Arnold. "We also want to be cautious with him and his health." Woodruff is roughly 14 months removed from last October's right shoulder anterior capsule surgery and it's unclear whether his stuff will bounce back to its previously-elite levels as shoulder surgery is far worse for pitchers in terms of long-term recovery and performance than other surgical procedures. The 31-year-old former ace is looking like a speculative late-round gamble for fantasy managers heading into next spring based on his immense upside alone, but he's far from a sure thing at this point of his career.

Brewers general manager Matt Arnold said Monday that it's "hard to say at the moment" whether Woodruff (shoulder) will be part of the team's Opening Day rotation, Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.