The New York Mets are running out of time to fix Kodai Senga, but they’re going to try.
The one-time ace will make his first start for Triple-A Syracuse Friday, hoping to demonstrate he can still help the big-league club as it clings to the final NL wild card.
Senga, 32, is 7-6 with a 3.02 ERA but had a 6.18 ERA in six August starts before accepting a demotion to the minors last week.
The Mets (76-71) have lost six straight and are just 1.5 games ahead of the Cincinnati Reds and San Francisco Giants for the final NL wild card.
Senga Has Struggled Since Returning From IL
Senga was one of baseball’s best pitchers over his first 13 starts, posting a 7-3 record with a 1.47 ERA and 70 strikeouts across 73.2 innings, allowing two or fewer runs in 11 of those appearances. He then strained his hamstring while covering first base June 13 and spent nearly a month on the injured list.
Senga returned to the rotation July 11 — the final series before the All-Star break — and pitched four shutout innings in an 8-3 win over the Kansas City Royals. In eight starts since then, his ERA is 6.56.
It was a stunning regression for the Japanese star, who signed a five-year, $75 million deal with New York in December 2022. Senga was an All-Star in 2023 and finished second in NL Rookie of the Year voting, going 12-7 with a 2.98 ERA and 202 strikeouts in 166.1 innings.
Senga Will Make at Least Two Triple-A Starts
Senga has spent the last week working on his mechanics, and while the Mets are pleased with his progress, they’re eager to see how he fares against actual hitters.
“Facing competition (Friday) and a lot of times the hitters will tell you, he’ll tell you,” Mendoza said Thursday, via SNY. “We’ll get the feedback from him. We’ll watch videos and things like that, and we’ll get the report. He feels good and feels like he’s in a good spot. Make some adjustments with his mechanics, and he has to go out there now and he has to see it.”
Per SNY’s Andy Martino, the plan for Senga is to make at least two starts with Syracuse in hopes he can return in time to help the Mets’ playoff push. Barring an injury to another Mets player, Senga is not eligible to be back until Sept. 20.
The Mets are just 3-7 in September after getting swept in a four-game series by the Philadelphia Phillies.
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