Panic sets in as Mets All-Star ace deals with possible injury
If the New York Mets want to contend with the Atlanta Braves, Miami Marlins and Philadelphia Phillies in the NL East, they can't afford to see their top starting pitchers miss extended time with injuries like last year.
When Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer were dealt to the Houston Astros and Texas Rangers, respectively, last summer, Kodai Senga became the unquestioned ace of the staff. The Japanese right-hander flourished as a rookie, going 12-7 with a 2.98 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 202 strikeouts in 166 1/3 innings pitched over 29 starts. Senga was named an All-Star, was the NL Rookie of the Year runner-up and finished seventh in the senior circuit's Cy Young voting.
Spring training's only just begun, making Wednesday's update on the 31-year-old that much more worrisome and leading to a sense of "here we go again" from fans in Queens.
According to a report by SNY's Danny Abriano, manager Carlos Mendoza said that a potential MRI is to be determined.
Senga signed a five-year, $75M contract with the Mets in December 2022. Prior to joining MLB, he was a three-time Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) All-Star and helped lead team Japan to the gold medal during the Tokyo Olympics.
As Abriano noted, there's a chance that fans could be panicking for nothing, and the team is stocked with plenty of depth in the rotation. Senga is clearly the ace, however, followed by a handful of middle- or back-end arms.
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