Logan Henderson optioned to Triple-A after strong start
MILWAUKEE — If you’ve been following the Brewers this season, it’s possible to understand why they optioned right-hander Logan Henderson back to the Minors on Monday — even though he’s 3-0 with a 1.71 ERA through four big league starts, and even though he’s MLB Pipeline’s No. 12 Milwaukee prospect and a significant part of the organization’s future — and to hate the move at the same time.
“I almost feel the same way sometimes,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said. “The kid has been so good.”
So why would the Brewers send the kid down? Murphy spoke on that topic at length ahead of Milwaukee’s Memorial Day matchup against the Red Sox at American Family Field, after the Brewers optioned 23-year-old Henderson to Triple-A Nashville a day after he delivered five innings of one-run ball against the Pirates in Pittsburgh. The team used the open spot to reinstate left-hander DL Hall from the 60-day injured list.
Hall’s return to the bullpen after rehabbing a lat injury came days after the Brewers reinstated fellow lefty Aaron Ashby from an oblique strain. Both joined the active roster as high-leverage long relievers, a growing role across MLB as starters’ workloads shrink.
For the Brewers, bullpen length is critical as setup men Nick Mears and Jared Koenig are showing signs of bowing under heavy usage. And with an off-day on the schedule Thursday, the team didn’t need a fifth starter this week.
“With the trend in baseball and the trend in our team that most of our starters are built for five innings — some can get through sixth like Freddy [Peralta] and [Jose] Quintana — but even Woody [Brandon Woodruff] when he comes back, right?” Murphy said. “DL, Ashby, those are guys who can go multiple times during the week, multiple innings. You’re going to wear out your Koenigs and Mears and [Abner] Uribes and [Trevor] Megills if you don’t have those two, three long guys.
“That’s how we’re choosing to go with it. And then keep those other guys built up.”
The Brewers have employed 11 starting pitchers this season after matching the franchise record with 17 starters last season. It’s foolish, Murphy said, to not plan for more injuries as the summer wears on, so they are stockpiling starters.
The current rotation has Peralta, Aaron Civale, Chad Patrick and Quinn Priester, with Quintana scheduled for one rehab start for High A Wisconsin on Tuesday before he’s back from a shoulder injury. Woodruff is scheduled to start Tuesday night for Nashville and will probably make one more Minor League appearance before the Brewers bring him back from his long recovery from shoulder surgery. Left-hander Nestor Cortes won’t be back from his elbow injury until after the All-Star break.
In the Minors, the Brewers have Henderson along with right-hander Tobias Myers, who is trying to get on track after an oblique injury and a series of so-so starts in the Majors, and top pitching prospect Jacob Misiorowski, who is banging on the door of the big leagues.
“This is a very fragile time where you have to make good decisions that’s based on winning and based on preserving starting pitcher depth,” Murphy said.
That’s also about preserving depth.
Priester entered the year with one Minor League option remaining and logged 11 days at Triple-A with Boston before a trade to Milwaukee sent him to the big leagues. An option isn’t officially burned until a player spends 20 days in the Minor Leagues, so theoretically the Brewers could go into next season with one option remaining on Priester if he doesn’t accumulate nine more days in the Minors this year.
Even if they do eventually option Priester to Triple-A to accommodate the return of Quintana or Woodruff in the coming weeks, it’s smart to push that decision until the last possible date. If Priester’s final option is burned, the Brewers would lose any flexibility with him for next season.
“We don’t want to throw anybody away,” Murphy said.
A fourth-round Draft pick in 2021, Henderson missed much of ‘22 with a fractured elbow and topped out at 81 1/3 innings last season, when he climbed as high as the Triple-A level. This year, he’s already logged 51 innings between Triple-A and the Majors, and managing that workload for the remainder of the season is a priority.
“He’s not 6-4, 215 [pounds] and there’s concern he’s had injury history,” Murphy said.
He praised Henderson for his professionalism. It’s already the second time that the Brewers have optioned Henderson back to the Minors the day after an effective Major League start.
Murphy made sure Henderson knew he would be back. And some of Henderson’s fellow pitchers delivered the same message.
“You have to let him know how appreciated he is,” said Ashby, who had a conversation with Henderson before he departed. “That’s not easy, coming up here being successful and being sent back down. But sometimes that’s the best thing for the team as a whole, and you have to keep that mindset.
“I think it’s on all of us players to know that he’s valued here and that he’s doing a great job. There’s things he can still work on [in Triple-A] but I think he’s going to be a significant part of this team this year.”
