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Are Dalton Rushing and Logan Henderson fantasy baseball sleepers, busts, or neither? Rick takes a deep dive into their 2025 fantasy baseball value.
Midway through May, the minors continue to supply fantasy managers with intriguing options. The Dodgers have summoned Dalton Rushing to serve as their backup catcher. The 24-year-old has an interesting skill set, but will he have the opportunity to show what he can do?
Similarly, Logan Henderson has pitched like an ace over 11 IP for the Brewers. The 23-year-old was a strikeout machine on the farm, but Milwaukee almost seems to be looking for reasons to send him back down.
Can these two help in fantasy baseball this season? Let's find out!
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Dalton Rushing (C/OF, Los Angeles Dodgers)
18% Rostered
Catchers who can hit are worth their weight in gold, especially when they have the bat and experience to play other positions and serve as non-catching catchers. Rushing's MLB career is off to a strong start. He's hitting .400/.455/.500 in 11 PAs. Of course, the sample is too small to prove anything.
Rushing's scouting report is more good than great. Here's what FanGraphs has to say:
Decent at everything, which is well above the offensive bar for catchers. MiLB.com largely concurs:
This one's a little more optimistic about Rushing's hit tool, but the difference is minor.
Rushing generally outperforms his scouting report since he has an advanced plate approach. He first reached Double-A (Tulsa) last season, slashing .270/.378/.512 with 17 homers in 334 plate appearances. His BABIP was a reasonable .299, and his plate discipline was excellent with an 11.4 percent BB% and 20.7 percent K% backed by a 10.4 percent SwStr%.
The performance earned Rushing a quick promotion to Triple-A (Oklahoma City), where he hit .273/.396/.511 with nine homers in 169 PA. Triple-A is extremely hitter-friendly, but Rushing's .299 BABIP repeated, and his plate discipline improved to a 15.4 percent BB% and 20.1 percent K%. His 20.8 percent chase rate and 9.1 percent SwStr% supported both numbers.
The Dodgers sent Rushing back to Oklahoma City to begin this year, and he hit .308/.424/.514 with five HR in 132 PAs. The average spike is attributable to a .373 BABIP, but Rushing's underlying skills remained strong. His 15.9 percent BB% and 22 percent K% were backed by a 17.9 percent chase rate and 8.3 percent SwStr%.
Rushing doesn't have much more to learn in the minors, and the Dodgers acknowledged that by using him in left field and first base to make it easier to fit him on the MLB roster with Will Smith. He was defensively adequate at both spots, with LF being the more interesting option since dislodging Freddie Freeman would be even harder than Smith.
Thus, it was surprising that Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said that Rushing "will not play the outfield for now" upon his call-up. Austin Barnes was designated for assignment in the corresponding roster move, so Smith and Rushing are the only catchers on the active roster.
Many managers hesitate to burn all their catchers with roster moves in case one gets injured, but Roberts said Rushing would see pinch-hitting opportunities. If Rushing is in the outfield and Smith gets hurt, they could slide Rushing to catcher and replace him with an outfielder. If Rushing was already used as a pinch hitter, he's gone, and the Dodgers wouldn't have a catcher.
Rushing in the outfield seems better for the worst-case scenario, but that's not what they're doing. Roberts also said that Rushing would only start twice a week, meaning he'll take on backup catcher responsibilities at the expense of his development. Why did they bother giving him outfield time in Oklahoma City if they were doing this?
It almost seems like the Dodgers are auditioning Rushing for other teams that might trade a pitcher for him. His trade value would be highest as a catcher, so they're using him as a catcher without regard for how limited playing time might affect the prospect's development.
Regardless, Rushing is a Chump until he can play more than twice a week. He would be a good watchlist candidate, though, as you'll want to pounce if Smith/Freeman/Shohei Ohtani land on the injured list or if he's traded to a team that will play him daily.
Logan Henderson (SP, Milwaukee Brewers)
31% Rostered
Henderson is 2-0 with a 2.45 ERA, 2.31 xFIP, and 2.84 xERA over 11 innings pitched as a Brewer this season. While it's obviously a small sample, it's tough to fake a 40 percent K% and 35 percent K-BB% in the big leagues.
Henderson doesn't have a huge prospect pedigree, but his scouting report suggests tantalizing fantasy upside. Here's FanGraphs:
A plus fastball sitting as high as 96 with a plus-plus change and league-average command is an enticing package, especially in an organization known for pitcher development like the Brewers. Henderson's MiLB scouting report tells a similar story:
The fastball and control rank higher while the change ranks lower, though the overall package of "two plus pitches with command" remains intact. The biggest knock on Henderson is that he's a two-pitch pitcher, but that didn't stop him from piling up strikeouts on the farm.
Henderson cracked the high minors with Double-A (Biloxi) last season, posting a 3.30 ERA and 2.59 xFIP in 46 1/3 IP. His 32.6 percent K% and 3.9 percent BB% were eye-popping, while his 47.7 percent FB% and 32.1 percent IFFB% suggested an underlying skill that might support his .250 BABIP moving forward.
The Brew Crew promoted Henderson to Triple-A (Nashville) mid-season, where he posted a 4.56 ERA and 5.19 xFIP in 23 2/3 IP. You don't want to see a young arm's ERA balloon, but the hitter-friendly nature of the league means it's forgivable if the pitcher takes care of business otherwise.
Sure enough, Henderson posted a 26.5 percent K% against a 6.1 percent BB%, clearing the 20% K-BB% threshold. He also induced plenty of harmless pop-ups with a 58.7 percent FB% and 18.9 percent IFFB%, lending some credibility to his .237 BABIP. Henderson's skills remained strong despite the inflated ERA.
Henderson's dominance returned when he went back to Nashville this season. He posted a 2.40 ERA and 3.31 xFIP in 30 IP with an elite 34.8 percent K% and 9.6 percent BB%. His 37.5 percent FB% wasn't quite as high as the previous season, but his IFFB% surged to 37.5 percent to again support his .246 BABIP.
Henderson has thrown five different pitches in MLB this year, though his fastball and change combine for 86% of pitches thrown. His heater is outstanding with a 9.7 percent SwStr% and 62.5 percent Zone%, while his change is also effective in the zone with a 14.5 percent SwStr% and 54.8 percent Zone%.
The other three pitches are a cutter, sinker, and slider; none of which have looked like anything more than show-me offerings. There is risk in starters with two-pitch repertoires, but it's tough to argue with Henderson's results.
As a fly ball pitcher, Henderson will occasionally have a start where homers get the better of him, especially playing home games at American Family Field and its 107 HR factor per Baseball Savant. However, the flies and pop-ups should keep his WHIP low, and the strikeouts have been nothing short of elite.
Some are concerned about whether Henderson will stick in the rotation, but he should be okay for now. Aaron Civale (hamstring) and Aaron Ashby (oblique) are nearing the end of their rehab assignments, but the team currently has only four starters listed on RosterResource. One of them can come back without dislodging anyone.
The other should bump Quinn Priester from the rotation, not Henderson. Priester's 4.59 ERA isn't very good, and his 1.4 percent K-BB% is atrocious. If the Brewers still want to contend this season, they can't demote Henderson while throwing Priester every fifth day.
Jose Quintana is seeking a second opinion on his shoulder impingement, so he's not close to returning. Brandon Woodruff is starting a rehab assignment this week, but he hasn't pitched in so long that it'll take him a while to build back up. Top prospect Jacob Misiorowski could complicate things, but the Brewers might keep him on the farm because they're cheap.
The bigger issue might be Henderson's injury history. He missed nearly all of 2022 after 'minor' shoulder surgery and a good chunk of 2024 with a strained oblique. The Brewers will probably shut him down eventually, but they'll keep using him until everyone else gets healthy.
Henderson faces Baltimore at home tonight, a team that cannot get out of its own way. Then, he gets a start at Pittsburgh on May 25, giving him two of the most favorable matchups imaginable.
Henderson may not stick all season, but this Champ should be rostered in far more leagues until the Brewers pull the plug on him.
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