Mets Make a Kodai Senga Decision

Nolan McLean will follow Senga on Wednesday in the Mets' series finale with the Cincinnati Reds.

Senga initially was scheduled to make one more rehab start. However, after throwing his bullpen session yesterday, Senga felt good and was vocal to Mendoza and the Mets about being ready to pitch again in the big-leagues. The injury to Scott, which isn't expected to keep him out for long, sped up Senga's return to the majors.

Senga's last rehab start came on June 11 for Double-A Binghamton, where he tossed six innings of one-run ball on 75 pitches. This means he will be close to fully stretched out against the Reds tomorrow.

That's good news considering Tobias Myers, tonight's starter, hasn't thrown more than 2.2 innings on 36 pitches in the minor leagues. For that, the Mets will have to dip into their bullpen for bulk relief during Monday's game.

Senga, 33, had a 9.00 ERA in five starts before going on the IL with lumbar spine inflammation in April. He briefly had his rehab assignment paused due to ulnar nerve irritation in his right arm. Luckily, the issue wasn't serious and Senga was able to get back on the mound shortly thereafter.

Senga has seen his once promising career become derailed by various injuries across the last three seasons. In 2024, he missed all but one start with shoulder and calf injuries. Last season, a June hamstring strain messed up the remainder of what was turning out to be an All-Star campaign. This year, the lumbar spine issue has caused him to miss close to two months.

While there's so sugarcoating that Senga wasn't performing well before getting injured this season, he still has time to turn things around starting with tomorrow's outing.