New York Mets star pitcher Kodai Senga was supposed to return from the injured list on or shortly after September 25. He has been battling a calf strain for weeks, sustained in his first start since returning from shoulder woes in late July. That plan, however, is not in the cards now after he suffered a setback on the weekend.
Kodai Senga will not return to the mound in September
Making a rehab start for Triple-A Syracuse on Saturday, the Mets right-hander reported right triceps tightness. Now, he won’t return in September and his availability for October is in doubt.
Per Mets insider Anthony DiComo, the pitcher left Citi Field on Sunday ‘without addressing his status, but the Mets say he’s still in play for October.’
If he does make it back for the postseason, he will probably do so as a reliever at this point. It’s hard to trust him to throw five or six innings when the stakes are so high and he hasn’t been able to fully recover from his injuries. That’s right, injuries.
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Will Senga be an option for the Mets if they make it to October?
For now, Senga will continue to throw with the hope of being ready to at least help the Mets as a reliever. His own progress will determine his availability in the postseason.
Mets manager Carlos Mendoza hopes he can be back relatively soon, but doesn’t know when he will have his star hurler back:
“For me, it’s hard to tell now,” Mendoza said before Sunday’s win over the Philadelphia Phillies. “It’s been a hard year for him. He’s worked his tail off. You feel for him. Every time he wants to push it and he wants to take the baseball, he’s dealing with something. Hopefully, this is nothing serious, but it’s going to set him back a little bit.”
A healthy Senga can make a difference. Last year, he posted a 2.98 ERA as a rookie and impressed everyone with his “ghost forkball,” his poise, demeanor, and overall skill. The only certainty, at this point, is that Senga won’t pitch in September anymore.
