Brewers have a clear plan when Logan Henderson returns to the rotation

After turning in an impressive performance in his first start of a rehab assignment with the Triple-A Nashville Sounds, Milwaukee Brewers' starter Logan Henderson will likely need just one more start in the minors before rejoining the major league rotation. Henderson is rehabbing from a lower back strain that has kept him away from a big-league mound since late May.

Prior to the injury, Henderson was following up his strong debut season, during which he posted a 1.78 ERA in five starts, with another impressive showing in 2026. The 24-year-old right-hander boasted a 2.74 ERA with a 1.04 WHIP in five starts scattered across late April and the first three weeks of May. Henderson played an important role filling in for injured veteran right-hander Brandon Woodruff during that stretch.

Over the weekend, Henderson made his first rehab start with Nashville, and it truly could not have gone much better. In 3.0+ innings, Henderson struck out seven, before giving up a softly-hit single and a walk to start the fourth inning. Theo DeRosa of MLB.com reports that his fastball velocity was well in line with his season average. After tossing 50 pitches during the start, Henderson will build up to 65-70 pitches in his next outing on Friday before hopefully rejoining the Brewers during their five-game series against the St. Louis Cardinals next week.

Henderson's imminent return and the ongoing strength of Milwaukee's current starting group create questions about what their rotation will look like going forward, but there's a clear path that the Brewers should take.

Brewers should utilize a six-man rotation prior to the All-Star Break, before sending two southpaws to the bullpen for the second half

The Brewers are in the midst of a 27 games in 27 days stretch leading up to the midseason break. While the starting rotation has been lights out during the stretch up to this point, the increased workload has certainly taken a toll on the Brewers' bullpen. On several occasions, Milwaukee's "B bullpen" group has been asked to cover high-leverage situations and produced rather concerning results in those moments. Thankfully, while Henderson's return to the rotation won't directly help the bullpen, the ripple effects of his addition to the starting staff should help the Brewers' relief corps.

As things currently stand, Jacob Misiorowski, Kyle Harrison, Brandon Woodruff, Brandon Sproat, Robert Gasser, and Shane Drohan are all being asked to work as starting pitchers for the Brewers. Milwaukee should continue to use a six-man rotation after Henderson returns, especially given the fact that they play a five-game series in four days against the St. Louis Cardinals next week. Henderson's return will likely push Shane Drohan back into a relief role -- a role in which he thrived during the month of May.

Drohan's re-addition to the relief corps will, to some extent, solve some of the bullpen issues that Milwaukee has experienced in recent days. After the All-Star break, Milwaukee should return to a five-man rotation of Miz, Harrison, Woodruff, Henderson, and Sproat, and Gasser can too offer help to the Brewers' taxed bullpen group. Gasser's recent performance certainly suggests that he deserves to keep his spot on the big-league roster, but his services will be most needed in the bullpen following the All-Star break.

With both Drohan and Gasser in the 'pen when the second half of the season gets underway, Milwaukee's relief corps will look much stronger than it currently does. Therefore, Henderson's return will not only allow the Brewers to keep their current six-man rotation during their ongoing grueling stretch of games, but it will also strengthen their faltering bullpen group in the near future.

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