Ryan Garcia
SOMERSET, New Jersey — Kodai Senga had the start for the Binghamton Rumble Ponies at TD Bank Ballpark, as they were on the road to take on the Somerset Patriots.
The veteran right-hander is in the midst of a rehab assignment, working back from a lumbar spine injury, which has kept him away from the Mets’ MLB roster since April.
Ulnar nerve irritation would delay his start in Somerset, as Senga had been scheduled to pitch two days ago before news came out of the minor setback.
Showing off his entire array of pitches and topping out at 96 MPH in the outing, Kodai Senga took another important step towards making his return to Queens.
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Kodai Senga’s ‘Big Weapon’ Could Give Mets a Needed Boost
On a hot-and-humid evening in Somerset County, Kodai Senga went to work against the Somerset Patriots, the Double-A affiliate for the New York Yankees.
Senga completed six innings of one-run ball against the Patriots, as he displayed an excellent feel for his entire repertoire in the outing.
At first the Japanese righty sat around 93-94 MPH, but he popped more 95-96 MPH fastballs as the outing went on, with velocity spikes in his secondaries as well.
“I started to feel better and better, towards the end I felt good, happy with the workload.”
It’s still a tick down from his first two starts of the season where he averaged 96.7 MPH, which is important because in his next three starts he’d average 95.4 MPH while posting a 17.28 ERA.
One pitch that could help him keep hitters off-balance when he returns to the big leagues is his ‘Shuuto’, a pitch with the speed of a changeup but the spin and movement of a sinker.
Kodai Senga has unfurled this pitch before; he used it 4.4% of the time this season and 6% of the time in 2024, as it seems to tunnel well with his four-seamer and forkball.
“It’s a big weapon if I can keep using it in the zone, I felt good about it today and if it can tick up a little bit more it can be an even bigger weapon.”
The Mets’ plan for Senga has not been officially revealed, as Senga told the media he doesn’t know what his next step in the rehab assignment will be.
New York has had to mix in multiple openers throughout the week to mask David Peterson and Sean Manaea, who have been up-and-down in those roles.
Coming off a win against the Cardinals to avoid an embarrassing sweep at home, the Mets are clinging onto dwindling playoff odds and hope that Kodai Senga can provide a spark.
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