It's all up to Kodai Senga when he'll make his return to the Mets
Kodai Senga of the New York Mets. Credit: Jim McIsaac
MILWAUKEE — On the weekend the Mets thought they finally would get Kodai Senga back, however briefly, for the start of a hoped-for postseason run, they seem not to know what to expect from him indefinitely.
Senga cut short his outing with Triple-A Syracuse last weekend because of right triceps tightness, but he has continued throwing, so that apparently wasn’t any sort of real injury. They hope he can advance to live batting practice — facing hitters — “in the next couple of days,” manager Carlos Mendoza said, but it’s up to the pitcher to decide when exactly that happens.
Mets officials have developed a habit of shrugging or pleading ignorance when it comes to whatever is going on with Senga.
Is there any chance he could be on the Mets’ roster for the first round of the playoffs beginning Tuesday (if they get there)?
“I don’t know,” Mendoza said with a laugh Saturday. “At this point, I don’t know.”
It’s turning into a weird finish of a weird year for Senga, who entered spring training as the Mets’ top starting pitcher following a sparkling first season stateside in 2023.
But then a right shoulder strain kept him out until late July — with setbacks including triceps/nerve trouble, plus an episode in which Senga paused his own progress because he felt uncomfortable with his mechanics.
When he did make it back, he lasted only 5 1/3 innings before straining his left calf. He healed from that well, so much so that the Mets expected him back — for, say, two or three innings — during a game this road trip. Their intention was to keep using him every five or six days, building up his workload over the course of a theoretical deep playoff run.
Senga, who did not travel with the team to Atlanta and Milwaukee, has not spoken publicly since his pseudo-setback in the minors a week ago.
“It’s been hard for him. Because he wants to be here with us. He wants to help,” Mendoza said. “And he knows how much he means to this team, and he’s frustrated that he hasn’t been able to do it. We saw him for four or five innings and he went down again. He’s going to continue to push it. Hopefully we see him, but he’s not here right now.”
As for that live BP?
“We don’t have that scheduled quite yet,” president of baseball operations David Stearns said Friday. “It’s whenever he feels ready for it.”
Alvarez update
Francisco Alvarez was out of the lineup Saturday but wound up being OK after exiting Friday with back spasms. He participated in pregame activities, including batting practice, and entered the Mets’ 6-0 loss as a pinch hitter.
Alvarez could barely walk off the field a night earlier. “Pretty scary,” Mendoza said. “I was in the clubhouse when he came in. That didn’t look too good, but by the time we got out of the ballpark, he was in a way better spot. Came in today and same thing.”
Luis Torrens started at catcher against the Brewers, but Mendoza expected Alvarez to be available off the bench. The Mets brought minor-league catcher Hayden Senger to Milwaukee in case Alvarez proved unavailable.
Lindor the DH
Francisco Lindor served as the designated hitter because Mendoza didn’t want to push him by playing him at shortstop on consecutive days (after he had missed nearly two weeks with a back injury).
“The fact that he’s in the lineup (is good) and we have to try to keep it that way as long as possible,” Mendoza said. “At this time, it’s not about ego. It’s about what’s best for the team. That’s what makes him who he is.”
McNeil’s check-up
Jeff McNeil was due for a check-up X-ray on his fractured right wrist, Mendoza said, and if it showed sufficient healing, he was going to start strengthening activities. That is a necessary stage before getting back to baseball stuff.
McNeil is a week away from the front end of the prescribed absence of four to six weeks. It won’t be ready then, if there is even a season to get back to.
Separately, for the past week or so, McNeil has been at home in California, Mendoza said, because his wife Tatiana was close to giving birth to their second child.
Extra bases
Paul Blackburn (spinal fluid leak) was re-shut down after experiencing continued discomfort, all but eliminating the slim chance he had of returning in 2024 . . . Mets owner Steve Cohen, who was with the team Friday, headed back to New York on Saturday for his 50th high school reunion — Great Neck North Class of 1974 — which he hosted at Citi Field. He intended to return Sunday, particularly if the Mets were in a clinching position.
Tim Healey is the Mets beat writer for Newsday. Born on Long Island and raised in Connecticut, Tim has previously worked for the South Florida Sun Sentinel, the Boston Globe and MLB.com. He is also the author of “Hometown Hardball,” a book about minor league baseball in the northeast.
