The Brewers keep finding ways to patch a rotation hole without losing momentum, but they’re about to get a major arm back. Logan Henderson is set to come off the injured list and start Thursday’s series finale against the St. Louis Cardinals, giving Milwaukee another boost as it keeps rolling through a season that has already put the club on pace to challenge its franchise wins record.
Henderson has been sidelined for more than a month with a back injury, and the Brewers have managed just fine in his absence. Still, his return adds another layer to a starting staff that has been one of the best in baseball, even with a mix of rookies and relatively inexperienced pitchers carrying a heavy load. Jacob Misiorowski has headlined that group as an All-Star, while Milwaukee’s depth has helped it absorb multiple injuries and keep the machine humming.
The news of Henderson’s return came Wednesday morning, when Adam McCalvy reported, “We have our TBA for Thursday’s series finale against the Cardinals: Logan Henderson will come off the IL to start.”
That’s a welcome development for a pitcher who has been excellent when healthy. Henderson is 2-1 with a 2.74 ERA in five starts this season. Last year, in his Major League debut, he went 3-0 with a 1.74 ERA in five starts before the Brewers shut him down because of a lat strain.
Across 10 career starts, Henderson is 5-1 with a 2.23 ERA, a number that places him in CC Sabathia territory for ERA through a pitcher’s first 10 games with Milwaukee.
The open question now is who gets sent to the minors to make room for him. After that, the Brewers will have to sort out how their rotation lines up coming out of the All-Star Break.
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The matchup only adds to the appeal, with the Brewers facing the Cardinals and right-hander Michael McGreevy, who has already given up 13 homers in 17 appearances. Chourios success against right-handed pitching has been part of the conversation too, which is why he stands out in this spot even if the final result is still the kind of thing that can turn on one well-placed pitch. [Read more 🡒]