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Mets Need a Bounce Back Year from Oft-Injured Starter

Originally posted on Last Word On Sports
By Chris Slatus | Last updated Feb 21, 2026 10:43 PM ET

Kodai Senga has had an interesting up-and-down career with the New York Mets so far. After having a solid rookie year and being named an All-Star in that same season, he has been hit by the injury bug ever since. The Mets will need Senga to bounce back this year, especially with the aspirations this team has for the season.

Kodai Senga Needs To Bounce Back for the Mets This Season

In Senga’s rookie year, he had a record of 12-7 with a 2.98 ERA and over 200 strikeouts, as well as second place in National League Rookie of the Year voting. Sadly, it would go downhill the year after that for Senga. He would miss all of 2024 except for one game he started in. That was his first game after he came back from a capsule strain, just for him to reinjure himself with a high-grade calf strain. He went on to miss the rest of that regular season, but he would go on to make a few appearances in the postseason, in which he performed miserably. In the five innings he pitched in the 2024 postseason, Senga had an ERA of 12.60.

Here’s the play on which Kodai Senga was injured. You can see him grab his lower left leg as he goes down. pic.twitter.com/C8Z8EvtDGd

— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) July 27, 2024

In 2025, it looked like he was back to the old Senga he once was. During the first half of the season, he posted a 7-3 record with a 1.39 ERA. This great start would be overlooked, as his second half of 2025 was miserable. Senga would go on to have a record of 0-3 in eight starts in the second half with a 6.56 ERA. It was a long fall from grace, considering how he started the year. The hamstring injury midway through the season may have also affected him, which is why his second half was so miserable. So, on September 5th, the Mets ended up demoting Senga to Triple-A to see if he could regain his old form. That would ultimately be the end of his season.

Some Positive Signs This Spring

There have been many things to be happy about with Senga so far as spring training ramps up. Not only does he look healthy, but there is an increase in the velocity on his fastball. It had been down 2 mph from his rookie year (95.7 mph-93.7 mph), but it reached 97 MPH in a live batting practice this past Thursday. It is a promising sign heading into the 2026 season, considering batters hit .279 against Senga’s fastball last year.

Can Senga Be a Positive for the Mets This Season?

It will be interesting to see if Senga can help the Mets this year compared to the second half of last season. He will need to stay healthy as well to have a part in this rotation, especially with some of the moves the Mets made this offseason, notably the addition of Freddy Peralta. This may prove to be a make-or-break season for Senga, who hasn’t been able to have a full season since his rookie year. It will soon be time to tell if Senga and his “ghost fork” can get back that magic he once had for this team.

This article first appeared on Last Word On Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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