An MRI test on the right shoulder of New York Mets right-hander Kodai Senga provided good news for the pitcher and the team.
"Inflammation is gone," Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said Thursday, "so he's pretty much cleared from the doctor."
Mendoza said if Senga has regained strength in his shoulder he could begin throwing within the next week.
Senga, 31, was shut down last month after he told the team he felt discomfort in his throwing shoulder. He will begin the season on the injured list.
Senga, who is entering the second year of a five-year, $75 million contract with New York, had a stellar rookie season. After spending 11 seasons playing professionally in Japan, he went 12-7 with a 2.98 ERA in 29 starts, striking out 202 and walking 77 in 166 1/3 innings.
Senga finished second to Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Corbin Carroll for the National League Rookie of the Year and seventh for the NL Cy Young.
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