With the New York Mets on a heater, the return of ace Kodai Senga had fans raucous at Citi Field Friday night against the Atlanta Braves.
But Senga’s return appears to be short-lived. Manager Carlos Mendoza said the high calf sprain he suffered in the top of the sixth inning will likely keep him out the remainder of the 2024 season.
Senga was trying to get out of the way of a pop-up in the infield, but his first step led to immediate pain, and he grabbed his left calf.
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Mendoza, who said Senga was placed on the 15-day IL, added that it’s "fair to say" Senga won’t return in the regular season.
Senga wasn't ruled out for the postseason.
"If we get to see him pitch, that means we're in a good position, right?" Mendoza said, via ESPN. "It's hard to put a timetable here, especially talking about a calf. Those are tricky. So, we could be looking at eight, 10 weeks before he's a big league pitcher [stretched out to] 85 pitches. So, it's hard to predict what we're dealing with."
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The injury happend in the 31-year-old right-hander’s first start of the season. Senga had been dealing with a right posterior shoulder capsule strain, which kept him out the entire first half.
Senga was performing well up to the point of the injury. His fastball touched 98 mph, and his patented forkball had its signature late break that fooled Atlanta hitters.
Senga’s final line had two earned runs on two hits and one walk, and he struck out nine batters over 5⅓ innings. The Mets won 8-4, mostly due to a seven-run third inning that included three home runs off Braves starter Charlie Morton.
While Mendoza called the loss of Senga a "huge blow" to the team, this Mets group has been resilient since a slow start in the first half led to this resurgence that puts them in playoff position.
Will owner Steve Cohen push for a starter to be added to the rotation before MLB’s trade deadline July 30 now that Senga is out?
The Mets need bullpen help. The group has the highest ERA in the league since May 1. Ryne Stanek was recently acquired in a trade with the Seattle Mariners, and he was activated Saturday, and Tylor Megill was called up from Triple-A to presumably take Senga’s spot in the rotation.
For now, Mendoza will have to rely on Jose Quintana, Sean Manaea, Luis Severino and David Peterson to get the job done in the starting rotation.
It will also help if the Mets’ bats, which have surged during this win streak, can stay consistent heading into October.
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