Kodai Senga’s injury-plagued common season has been formally ended by one other setback, because the right-hander got here away from a Triple-A rehab begin Saturday with tightness in his proper triceps. Mets supervisor Carlos Mendoza instructed reporters (together with MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo) that Senga received’t be capable of return earlier than the top of the season, however because the damage isn’t thought of overly critical, he may nonetheless be a candidate for a playoff roster ought to the Mets attain the playoffs.
That is the second triceps-related situation Senga has confronted this 12 months, as one other triceps downside delayed his restoration from the capsule pressure that sidelined the righty throughout Spring Coaching. After overcoming these accidents and eventually on the brink of make his season debut on July 26, Senga tossed 5 1/3 innings in his first begin earlier than struggling a left calf pressure that led to a different journey to the 60-day injured checklist. Saturday’s outing was slated to be Senga’s solely rehab begin, because the Mets’ plan was to doubtlessly have him return to the massive league roster throughout New York’s season-ending sequence with the Brewers, with Senga working as both as an opener or as a reliever.
With that plan now scrapped, it appears completely potential that we’ve seen the final of Senga for the 2024 marketing campaign. The Mets may nonetheless miss the postseason and make Senga’s standing a moot level, or Senga may merely not be wholesome sufficient to pitch except the membership makes a reasonably deep run into October. There may be additionally the query of simply how efficient Senga may be after his lengthy layoff, and whether or not or not the Mets wish to danger placing a rusty pitcher right into a essential postseason recreation.
Given how exceptional Senga was in his 2023 rookie season, it’s a little exceptional that New York is in place to say a wild card even whereas getting just about nothing from the pitcher they considered as their ace heading into Spring Coaching. Senga signed a five-year, $75MM free agent take care of the Mets through the 2022-23 offseason, and instantly lived as much as the hype created by his high-profile transfer from Nippon Skilled Baseball to the majors. Senga posted a 2.98 ERA over 166 1/3 innings in 2023, completed seventh in NL Cy Younger Award voting, and was a runner-up within the NL Rookie of the Yr voting.
