Mets make pitching roster move after Kodai Senga injury

The New York Mets are coming off a three-game sweep over the Washington Nationals at Citi Field for their second consecutive series sweep. They took down the Colorado Rockies in three games as well. Despite the success, the Mets lost starting pitcher Kodai Senga to an injury that did not look great when it happened on Thursday.

In the 6th inning of Thursday’s contest, Senga landed awkwardly after attempting to cover first base on a groundout. This news is devastating to the Mets, as he was having a stellar season since returning from an injury. His ERA is down to 1.47 on the season, and he allowed just one hit against the Nationals on Thursday, and was on pace for a quality start.

Manager Carlos Mendoza had brutal words about the injury.

“You hate to see anybody go down, especially a guy like Senga, after what he went through last year,” Mendoza acknowledged, per Will Sammon of The Athletic.

As a result of the injury, they placed Senga on the IL. Max Kranick is being called up from Triple-A Syracuse to take Senga’s spot on the roster for the time being. Kranick is a right-handed pitcher who has seen success in the bullpen this season. Kranick is 3-1 with a 3.51 ERA, has 23 strikeouts, 0.96 WHIP, and only three walks in 33.1 innings. He has five holds on the year as well, so he will bring value to the bullpen as a potential long reliever. He has multiple outings with at least 2.0 innings pitched.

Filling Senga’s void will not be easy. Senga is one of the top starting pitchers in the league, but the Mets’ rotation is playing well as a whole. Drew Peterson and Clay Holmes both have sub-3.00 ERAs, and Griffin Canning is having a great season with a 3.22 ERA in 13 starts.

The Mets are set to take on the Tampa Bay Rays at Citi Field for a three-game set.