Henderson's 7-K rehab debut bodes well for Brewers

Logan Henderson's first rehab start could not have gone much better.

The Brewers rookie right-hander is working his way back to Milwaukee’s rotation after being sidelined in late May by a low back strain, and his rehab outing on Sunday for Triple-A Nashville was an excellent step forward.

Henderson was perfect through the first three innings against Gwinnett, the Braves’ Triple-A affiliate, with seven strikeouts his first time through the order. He coaxed two swinging strikeouts in the first inning, two more in the second and two more in the third, with his other K coming on an automatic strike in the second.

Henderson was pulled after giving up a single to Jim Jarvis and walking DaShawn Keirsey Jr. to begin the fourth inning. He threw 50 pitches (32 strikes) and got 10 whiffs on 22 swings (45.5%).

The righty touched 94.3 mph with his four-seam fastball, averaging 92.9 mph -- just a hair below his season average (93.1 mph) in five MLB starts this season. Henderson was excellent before landing on the IL on May 26 (retroactive to May 23), posting a 2.74 ERA with 30 strikeouts in 23 innings.

When he returns to the big leagues -- which will likely be after at least one more rehab outing -- Henderson will rejoin a formidable rotation featuring National League Cy Young Award favorite Jacob Misiorowski, veteran Brandon Woodruff, breakout lefty Kyle Harrison and fellow rookie Brandon Sproat.