The New York Mets got crushing news on Thursday. Their ace, Kodai Senga, is out with a shoulder strain sustained in Spring Training, and his timetable for recovery adds to their worries.
CBS Sports’ Matt Snyder reported that Senga’s moderate posterior capsule strain has him out indefinitely and could jeopardize his availability next season, saying in part:
“The shoulder injury will keep Senga shut down until the symptoms calm. There’s no exact timetable for this, but the expectation is Senga won’t be ready for Opening Day and would open the season on the injured list,” Snyder said.
Mets won’t have the luxury of deploying ace Kodai Senga on opening day at Citi Field
Mets president David Stearns originally broke the news to the media in his press conference on Thursday.
Senga is the team’s clear-cut No. 1 option. The hope was that the standout Japanese righty would take the mound against the Milwaukee Brewers in their 2024 season opener on March 28.
The Mets’ All-Star will be missed should he be sidelined through the early parts of 2024
The 31-year-old star did not open the show for the Mets in his rookie debut last year. However, his first appearance behind Max Scherzer, David Peterson, and Tylor Megill saw him out away eight batters behind a statement 1.69 ERA in only 5.1 innings pitched against the Miami Marlins on Apr. 2, 2023.
This set the stage for Senga’s All-Star campaign, which he earned by producing a 12-7 record, 202 strikeouts, and a 2.98 ERA for New York.
The Mets will now look to a collection of talented additions to their improved pitching core, including Luis Severino, Sean Manaea, and Jose Quintana to shoulder the load while Senga recovers.
Stearns and the rest of the franchise are hoping that the infirmity won’t deteriorate Senga’s arm and diminish his blistering fastball run value, which placed him in the 99th percentile among all starters in the MLB last year.