The Mets‘ starting pitching has been one of the squad’s bigger weaknesses over recent weeks. The blue and orange’s starting ERA ranks 12th in the National League (4.52) and 24th in the major leagues. A key reason for the struggles has to do with the Mets being without their ace.
Kodai Senga has yet to appear, as he began the season on the injured list after suffering a shoulder strain during spring training. The 31-year-old was forced to be shut down for an extended period after he received a PRP injection to help with the injury. Senga has been working his way back to the big leagues but had a setback on Sunday.
Kodai Senga misses a scheduled bullpen session
During Monday’s media availability, when asked if Senga ‘did his thing yesterday’ Mets manager Carlos Mendoza revealed that the 31-year-old did not complete his scheduled bullpen session.
“He went out, played catch, did his long toss, got on the mound but felt something on his tricep,” Mendoza said. “So it got tight, and he didn’t throw a bullpen. Doctors took a look at him, we’re not concerned. It’s a low-level concern right now. He’s not throwing [Monday], and then hopefully he throws again [Tuesday].”
Carlos Mendoza via SNY
This is not the first setback Senga has faced on his road back to the majors. Last week, the left-hander had to stop his rehab due to difficulty with his mechanics.
The Japanese native threw 166.1 innings across 29 starts in his debut season for the Mets to a 2.98 ERA with a 1.220 WHIP and 202 strikeouts. For his performance, Senga earned a trip to the all-star game, finished second in the National League Rookie of the Year voting, and seventh in the National League Cy-Young Award race.
What does this mean for the Mets?
Senga having some tightness isn’t the end of the world for the blue and orange, but the fact the tightness was troubling enough to have him skip the bullpen session and wait another week after already being previously delayed due to another issue is where the concern truly lies.
The Mets seem to have no clear timeline for when Senga will return, and while the team desperately needs an ace to right the ship, it doesn’t appear that card will be in Mendoza’s deck anytime soon.