Logan Henderson (back) to make rehab start Sunday

There was hardly any doubt after Henderson piled up seven strikeouts over three shutout innings during his latest minor league rehab start for Triple-A Nashville over the weekend. The 24-year-old will need at least one additional tune-up outing to build up his pitch count, but he’s primed to rejoin Milwaukee’s rotation at some point in early July. He’s shown some real flashes of immense potential, when healthy, with a sparkling 2.23 ERA and 63/14 K/BB ratio across 48 1/3 innings at the highest level over the last two seasons. He’s worthy of a speculative roster spot in all fantasy leagues.

Henderson allowed just one hit and one walk while striking out seven batters. He threw 32 of his 50 pitches for strikes and sat 92.9 mph on his four-seam fastball, which is essentially where he was earlier in the season. He did struggle with his command on that pitch, posting just a 48 percent zone rate and 56 percent strike rate on his fastball, but he induced plenty of whiffs when it was in the zone, and his secondaries were commanded better. He’ll likely need at least one more rehab start, probably two, before he returns to the Brewers’ rotation, but now would be a good time to stash him if he was dropped in your league.

Henderson got an injection in his back in early June, and the Brewers hoped, at the time, that he could be back in late June. Although he hasn’t had any setbacks, it appears that the timeline has been moved back to early July. With the All-Star break looming around then, you have to wonder if the team would use the time and simply bring Henderson back after the break. It’s hard to hold him that long unless you have a few IL spots.

Henderson is estimated to return in late June or early July, according to the Brewers, after hitting the injured list with a lower back strain last week. The 24-year-old top prospect has been outstanding with a 2.74 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and 30/6 K/BB ratio across 23 innings over five starts this season. He’s worth hanging onto in all fantasy formats on the chance that he’s back by the end of the month.

The Brewers estimate that Henderson will return in late June. Tough break for fantasy managers, as Henderson had been rock solid since being called up. He currently boasts a 2.74 ERA and 1.04 WHIP. He’s worth holding in most leagues if you have the injured list spot. Shallow league managers with no injured list spots face a tougher decision.

Henderson went five scoreless innings while striking out seven in a win over the Dodgers on Friday, but he didn’t exit that outing unscatched. The 24-year-old is scheduled to face the Cardinals on Wednesday, but Murphy suggests that may not be in the cards, no pun intended. Fantasy managers who are looking to use Henderson for that outing will want to stay tuned for updates.

Henderson was masterful over five scoreless frames, allowing just two hits and three walks while keeping the Dodgers off the board. He struck out two of the first three batters he faced and didn’t allow a hit until the fourth inning, keeping a potent Dodgers offense at bay after being gifted an early 5-0 lead. Henderson lowered his season ERA to 2.74 on the year and is also boasting a solid 1.04 WHIP. His next start is scheduled for Wednesday at home against the Cardinals.

Henderson left up 2-1, and Chad Patrick held down the fort for the rest of the game. Henderson has a 2.81 ERA and a 20/2 K/BB in 16 innings over three starts since being recalled by the Brewers. With Patrick in the pen, Henderson should survive Brandon Woodruff’s return and remain a key piece of the Milwaukee rotation and a valuable fantasy starter going forward.

Patrick pitched out of the pen last time out, too, but that was a three-inning stint. That he was just used for an inning tonight suggests he might be in the pen at least semi-permanently. That’d be good news for Brandon Sproat and Logan Henderson, as both would be in line to keep their rotation spots when Brandon Woodruff returns. Quinn Priester, though, might overtake one in a few weeks.

Henderson struck out five of the 19 batters he faced. He came out after 74 pitches, as the Brewers didn’t want to take their chances of him pitching to Ben Rice, Aaron Judge (who had homered) and Cody Bellinger for a third time. Henderson has allowed four runs in 11 innings since joining the rotation last week. It’s not entirely certain that he’ll stick around after Brandon Woodruff returns, but he should. He’ll likely face the Twins next weekend.