Carlos Mendoza reveals Mets’ Kodai Senga plan

“It was very good,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said Saturday when asked about Senga’s first outing with Syracuse. “When you look at the numbers, no walks, the strikeouts, the way he used all of his pitches… The main thing, he threw strikes, he attacked. And pretty much every pitch was working, so that’s a really good sign there.”

Senga, 32, posted an MLB-best 1.47 ERA through his first 13 starts but has not been the same pitcher since returning from a right hamstring injury in mid-July. He pitched to a 6.56 ERA and 1.71 WHIP in eight outings after the All-Star break, not once completing six innings.

The veteran right-hander consented to a minor league option on Sept. 5 in hopes of working through his mechanical issues in a lower-stakes environment. Despite taking an encouraging step Friday, Senga will make at least one more start in Triple-A before the Mets re-evaluate his role moving forward.

“That was the plan, he’s gotta be down there for 15 days anyway,” Mendoza said. “See how he responds [over] the next few days, continue to work on his mechanics, but the plan is for him to make another one.”

If Senga is recalled around the time he is first eligible (Sept. 20), he could make one or two starts at most before the regular season ends. The Mets could certainly use the ace version of Senga during that final, crucial stretch, as they entered Saturday clinging to a half-game lead over the San Francisco Giants for the third and final NL wild card spot.

In the meantime, the Mets could get creative with their rotation. They currently have six starters: David Peterson; two veterans who have struggled to provide length, Sean Manaea and Clay Holmes; and three rookies with limited MLB experience—Nolan McLean, Jonah Tong, and Brandon Sproat.

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Tong, the youngest of the trio, struggled heavily in what was only his third big league outing on Friday night. The 22-year-old right-hander recorded just two outs and allowed six runs on four hits and three walks before being pulled from the game in the first inning.

Mendoza indicated Saturday that the situation is fluid, but for now, the plan is for Tong to remain in the big league rotation.

“We gotta get through the off-day [on Monday], we said we were going to get creative, but we haven’t had conversations about not having Jonah start a game,” Mendoza said. The Mets’ skipper added that Tong will learn from Friday, and the combination of his talent, stuff, and personality gives him confidence that he will bounce back strong.