As the New York Mets get set to begin the second half of the season Friday in Miami, they await the return of the ace, Kodai Senga. Senga has been out of action since the early weeks of spring training with a moderate posterior capsule strain. He’s made three combined rehab starts for Brooklyn and Syracuse, and this weekend, he will make what could be his last rehab start before officially joining the Mets, per Newsday’s Tim Healey.
The Triple-A Syracuse Mets are off right now but are back in action on Friday as they host Rochester for a three-game set. If all goes well for Senga over the weekend, the expectation is he will be pitching on the Citi Field mound next week (July 25-28) when the Mets face the Atlanta Braves.
In his last rehab start, Senga threw 67 pitches over 4 2/3 innings. He struck out three, walked two, and allowed two hits and one run. Senga’s return to the rotation would be critical for the Mets. New York is now in the middle of a playoff race entering second-half play.
In Senga’s absence, the Mets starting pitching has been mired in inconsistencies and lack of length. However, they’ve held on thanks to Luis Severino, Sean Manaea, David Peterson, and Jose Quintana before his recent outing.
Adding Senga back into the rotation could boost a staff that needs it. Senga might need a few starts to get going back in the big leagues, especially considering all the time he’s missed. For now, Senga will do one more rehab start. After that, the Mets will make the final call about whether he’s ready to take a big league mound again.
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