Logan Henderson has returned to the MLB, pitching six innings with two runs allowed and eight strikeouts. His performance suggests he is a must-add option for fantasy baseball players.
Key points
Logan Henderson returned to the MLB and pitched excellently.
He allowed two runs and struck out eight in six innings.
Henderson's career ERA is now 2.43 after his recent start.
He has a high strikeout rate of 34.1% in his MLB career.
Henderson was previously sent down to manage his innings.
All Logan Henderson has done at the MLB level is dominate. Maybe it's time for the Brewers to fully commit to him.
Henderson made his return to the majors Sunday against a Nationals team that has been unexpectedly feisty, and he did what he has always done when given the opportunity: He pitched excellently. He pitched six innings and allowed two runs, while striking out eight (including three in his final inning), with three hits allowed and zero walks. The young righty pitched with his typical arsenal, racking up nine swinging strikes on 76 pitches, with five of the nine coming off his unusually excellent fastball.
It's the seventh time we've seen Henderson pitch in the majors and this start actually raised is career ERA to 2.43. He has 44 strikeouts in 33.1 innings of work while walking nine – a 34.1% strikeout rate and 7% walk rate that would be an elite mark if he could sustain it.
And he should at least get the chance to sustain it this time. Henderson dominated in five starts last season, but was eventually sent down to manage his innings, and when he finally returned to the majors in August, he made one start before being diagnosed with a flexor strain in his right elbow. He didn't crack the rotation for the Brewers to open this season and saw names like Kyle Harrison, Chad Patrick, Brandon Sproat and Shane Drohan seemingly leap him in the team's pitching pecking order.
But with Brandon Woodruff's shoulder injury earlier this week, Henderson finally got another chance. And at this point, the Brewers just have to stick with him, right? He was dominant in the majors when he got the chance last season, and he's simply looked too good for the minors so far this season, too. For whatever reason, the Brewers have seemed less interested in giving him a shot than the Fantasy community would prefer, but with yet another great start under his belt, they've gotta trust him moving forward, right? It's not like their alternatives have been dominant, and with leaving his most recent game with a hamstring cramp, the need for reliable pitching here has never been greater.
Q&A
What were Logan Henderson's stats in his recent MLB start?
In his recent start, Logan Henderson pitched six innings, allowed two runs, struck out eight batters, and gave up three hits with zero walks.
How has Logan Henderson performed in his MLB career so far?
Logan Henderson has a career ERA of 2.43 with 44 strikeouts in 33.1 innings, showcasing a 34.1% strikeout rate and a 7% walk rate.
Why did Logan Henderson not start the season in the Brewers' rotation?
Logan Henderson did not crack the Brewers' rotation due to other pitchers like Kyle Harrison and Chad Patrick surpassing him in the team's pitching hierarchy.
What should fantasy baseball players do with Logan Henderson now?
Fantasy baseball players should consider adding Logan Henderson to their rosters, as his recent performance indicates he could be a valuable asset.
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It's hard to buy all the way in on Henderson given the uncertainty of his role. He only threw 76 pitches in this one, which is a bummer, and a sign that the Brewers are still trying to manage his workload. But they've gotta trust him at some point, and I'm assuming that point is now. We've had a number of interesting pitchers emerge on the waiver-wire over the past week or so, and Henderson is the latest to join the list. I'd be looking to add him pretty much anywhere I can for Fantasy.
Here's the problem with catchers right now: Jeffers is playing extraordinary baseball right now, and it's hard to argue it matters all that much. His .382 wOBA is backed up by a .377 xwOBA, largely because he has managed to increase his average exit velocity to a 90.8 mph career best without sacrificing any plate discipline, but he probably isn't good enough to justify ranking as a top-12 option given the depth of the position. In a H2H points league, if you wanted to roster Jeffers right now instead of, say, a recently demoted Agustin Ramirez, I think that's reasonable, but it's hard to argue there are too many leagues left where Jeffers is worth adding as a long-term option. If you're in one of them, he looks like a solid starter again.
Deep league option:Joe Mack, Marlins (6%) – Consider me "shocked, but not surprised" by Ramirez's demotion. He's never been a good defensive catcher, and we're now going on 160-plus games of a sub-.700 OPS. He'll be back before long – I wouldn't be surprised if the Marlins had him go down to Triple-A to focus on defense at a non-catcher position – but his demotion lines up with Mack's promotion, and that's worth taking note of for Fantasy. Mack is the Marlins' best defensive catcher and will likely take over the bulk of the duties behind the plate, but he's not just a defensive specialist – he's hit 21 homers in 124 games at Triple-A and has 46 homers between roughly two seasons at Double-A and Triple-A combined. He's a fairly one-dimensional slugger, but if he can keep the batting average around .250, Mack could matter in two-catcher leagues, especially since he'll likely be playing pretty regularly for the Marlins.
Vaughn is set to be activated from the IL Monday, and I remain very intrigued by his potential. He hit .308/.375/.493 after joining the Brewers last season and had a fantastic spring before suffering a fractured hamate bone in the first game of the season. You never quite know how a player will recover from that specific injury, but Vaughn showed enough last season that I'm at least interested to see what he does for an encore. He'll get a chance now.
**Deep league option:**Nate Lowe, Reds (17%) – I think it's probably just a hot streak, but Lowe is hitting the ball very well right now and he's getting the chance to play pretty regularly. We'll see whether that lasts when Eugenio Suarez is healthy, but Lowe has five homers in his past nine games with very good underlying numbers to back it up, so I'm in on him as a cheap hot-hand play for the time being.
Bazzana hasn't gotten hot yet, but he's still finding ways to be productive, with three walks and two steals in his first five games. I have some questions both about how the power and batting average will translate immediately, but it's good to see his good plate discipline and athleticism transfer. I made a "Gleyber Torres with 25-plus steal potential" comp for Bazzana, and it's a skill set that should play in both points and Roto leagues even if he isn't a difference maker right away.
Deep league option:Nolan Gorman, Cardinals (20%) – Gorman is still pretty decent against right-handed pitching, and the Cardinals have a full slate of them on the way this week, making him a viable streaming hitter for either 2B, or 3B.
Look, there just aren't a ton of interesting options at third base right now. Colt Keith doesn't play everyday, Nolan Arenado's hot streak looks super flukey, etc. I think Jose Fernandez of the Diamondbacks is a pretty interesting triple-eligible option, so if you want to prioritize him over Bohm, that's reasonable. But for as bad as Bohm has been this season, I remain pretty optimistic about his chances of being a viable starter in the long run. Maybe he's just lost it, but between 2022 and 2025, he hit at least .274 in each season and had 97 RBI in both 2023 and 2024. He's been dealing with a tough situation off the field that might be holding him back, but it might also just be a cold stretch to open the season. When he's right, Bohm is an unusually good source of batting average and RBI, and I'm willing to bet on him getting hot and producing in what I still think will be a good Phillies lineup.
Deep league option:Connor Norby, Marlins (16%) – Like I said, there aren't a lot of interesting options at third base right now. Norby plays pretty much everyday and has a bit of pop and will take a walk. You could look to other options like Matt Shaw or Brady House in some shallower leagues, but they have their own limitations. The truth is, if you don't have a good third baseman, you're just in a tough position these days.
Here's what I'm struggling with with Story: Yes, he's been awful, and there really isn't much positive to point to, but that was also true for much of the start of last season and it ultimately didn't matter. Story had a .586 OPS on May 31 last season, and I was pretty much ready to drop him everywhere. Then he got hot in June and basically never let up, finishing with 25 homers and 31 steals and playing like one of the best players in Fantasy over the final four months. That's no guarantee he'll do the same thing this season, but it's a reason to avoid giving up on him entirely. Shortstop is severely lacking in upside outside of the high end of the position, and Story definitely brings that to the table. If I'm still looking for my Francisco Lindor replacement and Story is out there, I'm taking the chance.
Deep league option:Ha-seong Kim, Braves (9%) – Kim is nearing a return from the torn tendon in his middle finger that derailed the start of his season, and it's not entirely clear what role is waiting for him when he does return – Mauricio Dubon has been good enough that it doesn't really make sense to bench him entirely, but the Braves presumably re-signed Kim with the intention of having him start at shortstop. And he's been a very impactful Fantasy option in the past, so I suspect they'll give him extended run, with Dubon returning to more of a super-utility role.
The long-term playing time outlook still looks cloudy, but it was nice to see Dominguez get on the board Sunday with his first homer of the season. He has only struck out three times in his first five games to go along with that homer and a couple of doubles, and I remain interested in seeing what he can do. Despite how long you've been hearing about him, Dominguez is still just 23 and has plenty of potential. Now's his chance to force the Yankees into some tough decisions in the long run.
The biggest reason to be skeptical about Cortes is because he's a 29-year-old who has never been much of a prospect during a now decade-long minor-league career. But he hit .322/.414/.603 in Triple-A last season and now he's up to a career .343/.383/.586 line in his first 69 MLB games, with the underlying numbers to, if not back it up, at least suggest he's not a total scrub. Cortes might actually be a pretty good hitter, even – his .366 expected wOBA isn't quite to his .414 actual mark, but it's plenty good! He hits the ball hard and makes a lot of contact, and he has the added advantage of playing half his games in a very good hitting environment. Cortes is usually protected from tougher lefties, which limits the ceiling, but that's a concern when you're trying to figure out if a guy should be 100% rostered. He's worth adding in plenty of leagues before we get there.
Mitchell is another player with the obvious limitation of being in a platoon. But he's been hitting leadoff against some righties lately and remains a very productive hitter against them. He doesn't matter much in points leagues unless it's as a streamer in a week with all righties scheduled to start against the Brewers, but in Roto leagues (especially with daily lineups), he looks like a pretty good fifth outfielder.
The Tigers haven't given any sign that they're on the verge of promoting their top outfield prospect, but as Scott White noted in his most recent Prospects Report column, there's both an opportunity in the team's outfield (after Javier Baez's injury) and signs that Clark is ready for the promotion. He's hitting .286/.364/.411 with excellent plate discipline at Triple-A and a lot of activity on the basepaths. I don't know if Clark is quite on the verge of a promotion yet, but I'd bet we see him by the summer months, and he could be an impact player in all Fantasy formats if and when he gets the chance.
I thought Marte was one of the most obviously overpriced players in Fantasy drafts this spring, but that doesn't mean I think he's useless. He responded to his demotion to Triple-A by hitting .400/.463/.650 in his first 15 games, a sign that while he has his warts, he probably also doesn't have much left to prove against minor-leaguers, either. His demotion made sense given his defensive limitations, but the Reds are still getting very little from their right fielders, so I still expect Marte to get another chance, and perhaps pretty soon.
Starting Pitcher
Cade Cavalli, Nationals (49%)
I can't say I have a ton of faith in Cavalli. I would probably prioritize Henderson over him, even with the concerns about Henderson's role in the medium term. But Cavalli just put up consecutive double-digit strikeout starts, and that's the kind of upside I think you basically have to take a flier on when you see it. It might end with Cavalli sputtering out and putting up a bunch of crooked numbers to wreck your ERA, and I wouldn't be especially surprised if that happened in his next two starts, even. But he's shown much better command over his past three starts, and does at least have some prospect pedigree to go with a live arm and a very good breaking ball for strikeouts. It's a long shot that Cavalli ends up much more than a streamer, but he's earned the longer look, at least.
I've never been a big believer in Meyer, but even I'm impressed by what he's doing right now. Which is basically just doubling down on what works, which for him, means throwing his two breaking balls more. His slider has always been his best pitch, and it remains his primary pitch, one he throws 28% of the time and generates both called and swinging strikes on. The change this season has been to prioritize his other breaking ball, a sweeper that isn't quite as dominant as the slider but which is still a pitch he has a good feel for and is generating a 38% whiff rate thanks to some increased velocity. The rest of the arsenal mostly exists just to get by, but by prioritizing those two breaking balls nearly 55% of the time, he's making it work right now. I don't buy Meyer as a sub-3.00 ERA pitcher, but something in the mid-to-high-3.00s with good strikeout numbers could be possible with how he's pitching right now.
Scott's return to the rotation went poorly, but his followup actually showed some reasons to be optimistic. He gave up three runs (two earned) to the Angels over five innings, but it was mostly because of one bad pitch in the first inning. He settled in from there and ultimately struck out eight while walking none over the five innings, with a solid 10 whiffs on 74 pitches. It was mostly with a three-pitch mix, with nine of the whiffs coming on his four-seamer and five more on the sweeper, and I don't know if that's going to be enough to turn over MLB lineups regularly. But Scott was a pretty interesting prospect at one point before injuries derailed his career, and with this start over the weekend, I'm at least giving him a second look in deeper leagues.
The Marlins have already given Chris Paddack the vote of confidence for his next start, but this can't go on much longer. The Marlins have two major-league ready lefties waiting to join the rotation down in Triple-A, and with Thomas White back from his spring injury, it might be three before long. Garrett is the least exciting of the three (Robby Snelling is the other), but he does have the added advantage of having MLB experience and being on the 40-man roster, so I suspect he'll be the first one to get the call if (and when) Paddack is deemed expendable. Paddack has a 7.63 ERA for the season, while Garrett has been dominant at Triple-A in his return from Tommy John surgery, so I think it won't be long before we see the Marlins make that switch.
It's hard to be a closer and a multi-inning reliever, so the Athletics will have to figure out how they want to best deploy Perkins here soon. But after he picked up a couple of multi-inning saves, Perkins' last two appearances have been single-inning stints, including one traditional save, so that could already be happening. Projecting roles is the toughest thing about analyzing closers, but it looks like the A's might be starting to trust him as their go-to ninth-inning guy.
This isn't great timing, what with Varland getting pulled from a save opportunity after allowing just a measly single Sunday. That runner came around to score, and it's clear from that move alone that Varland doesn't have the full confidence of the manager in Washington. Still, I suspect he's the first option for saves moving forward, and it's as much about the fact that the Brewers had some lefties coming up as anything. It's not ideal when security in the role is arguably the most important thing when it comes to valuing relievers for Fantasy, but Varland still looks like a decent roll of the dice for deeper leagues.
