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Jorge Castillo
NEW YORK — The New York Mets had hoped that right-handed pitcher Kodai Senga’s assignment to Triple-A earlier in September would be a brief one, allowing him to refine his pitching style and quickly rejoin the major league club around Sept. 20. However, these expectations will not be met.
Senga communicated to team personnel during a phone call on Friday that he doesn’t believe he’s adequately prepared to pitch at the highest level. This assessment came after he pitched 3⅔ innings in Syracuse on Thursday, during which he conceded four runs, despite being in good physical condition. Given that the minor league season ends on Sunday, the revised strategy involves Senga facing batters in a controlled, simulated setting either next Tuesday or Wednesday.
Mets’ skipper Carlos Mendoza stated the team is currently deciding where this practice will occur, noting Senga’s ineligibility to be with the major league squad while under assignment.
Senga’s initial outing since voluntarily accepting the demotion showed promise: six innings pitched, three hits allowed, one run given up, and eight strikeouts with no walks issued. Nonetheless, his showing on Thursday marked a noticeable decline from this improvement.
“His overall quality wasn’t up to par,” Mendoza mentioned about Senga’s performance on Thursday. “Whether it was his speed, precision, or the effectiveness of his off-speed pitches. That was the feedback I received. Furthermore, upon reviewing the footage, it was clear. This is likely a major factor in his request for another session to face batters, aiming to address these challenges. So, that’s what we observed.”
This occurrence is not the first instance where a healthy Senga, aged 32, has conveyed to the Mets his discomfort with pitching in MLB games despite being medically cleared. In the previous season, Senga pointed to mechanical difficulties several times as justification for pushing back his season debut until the end of July, even after recovering from a shoulder injury. Subsequently, he strained his left calf during his initial start and did not participate in any additional regular-season games.
This year, Senga emerged as one of MLB’s premier pitchers until a hamstring strain sidelined him on June 12. He was placed on the injured list with an impressive 1.47 ERA over 73⅔ innings across 13 starts, coinciding with the Mets holding the league’s best record. Following a nearly month-long absence, he returned to deliver four shutout innings on July 11. From that point, Senga posted a 6.56 ERA across 35⅔ innings in eight starts, only pitching into the sixth inning once and completing five innings on three occasions. The Mets’ performance, notably, suffered during this period.
Faced with the inability to withstand brief, unproductive starts as their position in the standings slipped, the Mets requested Senga’s assignment to Triple-A. Throughout this, Senga has asserted his physical well-being to the team, leaving them puzzled by his struggles.
“We’re asking the same question,” Mendoza stated when questioned about Senga’s failure to regain his early-season form. “From a health perspective, he’s in optimal condition. There are no complications for him. He’s not demonstrating any favoring or limitations. We simply haven’t been effective in aiding him, be it through mechanical adjustments or execution improvements, whatever the reasons may be. We haven’t achieved that yet. So, this is the scenario we’re navigating. But physically, he’s in good shape.”
Senga’s difficulties, alongside Sean Manaea’s subpar showings and injuries affecting other starting pitchers, have pushed the Mets to introduce three rookie players—Nolan McLean, Jonah Tong, and Brandon Sproat—into the pitching rotation during a crucial playoff contention phase.
McLean received the initial call-up, debuting in MLB on Aug. 16. Tong followed, succeeded by Sproat. McLean has excelled in six starts, recording a 1.19 ERA with 40 strikeouts over 37⅔ innings, and is projected to start in the potential three-game wild-card series if the Mets advance to the postseason. The roles of Tong and Sproat are less defined.
Senga’s situation remains even more uncertain. Mendoza indicated that Senga “might” be considered for a return to pitch in the Mets’ concluding series of the season against the Miami Marlins, but this hinges on several yet-to-occur developments. The previous year, the Mets took aggressive steps to accommodate Senga in the postseason, despite his absence from pitching for more than two months. Ultimately, Senga started in two games and appeared as a relief pitcher in a third, totaling five innings across these three appearances. This year’s approach may differ.
“We have to reach that point first,” Mendoza clarified. “We’re in the process of discussing these options, but it’s too premature to determine.”
