Brewers Found Immediate Silver Lining After Brandon Woodruff's Injury

Milwaukee was well-equipped to handle some attrition

May 3, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Logan Henderson (43) pitches against the Washington Nationals during the first inning at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

The Milwaukee Brewers' 3-2 loss to the Washington Nationals on Sunday couldn't mask the positive developments on the pitcher's mound.

Late last week, the Brewers placed veteran Brandon Woodruff on the 15-day injured list with shoulder inflammation, following a concerning start in which he barely touched 86 mph with his fastball in 1 1/3 innings. Fortunately, Logan Henderson was ready and waiting in Triple-A.

Henderson was the hard-luck loser on Sunday after allowing two earned runs across six innings, but he was mostly dominant against a plucky Nationals lineup. The Brewers have every reason to be ecstatic about his potential after seeing what he's done since the start of the regular season.

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Logan Henderson continues to show he's ready for primetime

May 3, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Logan Henderson (43) prepares to pitch against the Washington Nationals during the second inning at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Henderson punched out eight batters on the afternoon, walked none, and only gave up three hits. One of those three was a ground ball to the first baseman on which Henderson slipped off the mound en route to cover first base and couldn't record the out. The other two came later in the inning, meaning the righty might not have surrendered any scoring if he had just kept his footing.

After he succumbed to an elbow injury last summer just as he was showing he was big-league-ready, Henderson looks poised to capitalize on this opportunity to lock down a spot in the Milwaukee rotation for good. Sure, Woodruff and Quinn Priester hope to return at some point, but there's always attrition these days, so a pitcher doing his job well rarely has to worry about a demotion.

Of course, no pitching staff ever roots for injuries, as the Brewers showed earlier in the weekend series when Jacob Misiorowski had to cut his dominant start short when he experienced a hamstring cramp. It looks like Milwaukee dodged an injured list stint there, but his injury scare was a reminder that beyond Henderson, the depth options would be a lot less exciting.

The Brewers knew before the season started that the 24-year-old Henderson would factor into the mix early on, despite sending him to Triple-A. On Sunday, they learned he might be a true weapon, rather than just a fill-in.