The New York Mets are running out of time to turn their season around. While they have performed poorly across the board, it would certainly help if the team could overcome its recent injury woes. Even then, though, some of their guys who are close to being fully healthy are struggling to even get through their rehab outings.
That’s been the case for former All-Star starting pitcher Kodai Senga, as he’s gotten rocked in his two most recent rehab outings at Triple-A. Understandably, fans have become based on what they have seen from Senga, but manager Carlos Mendoza preached patience as the team works on getting the Japanese star up to speed.
Carlos Mendoza Not Worried About Kodai Senga’s Rehab Outings
Senga came over from Japan in 2023, and he immediately put together an All-Star campaign for the Mets, posting a 12-7 record with a 2.98 ERA and 202 strikeouts. The following year, though, Senga made only one start thanks to shoulder and calf injuries, and he was also forced to miss some time in 2025. When he returned, though, he looked like his old self (7-6, 3.02 ERA, 109 K, 1.32 WHIP).
This season, Senga made five starts before he was forced to the injured list with lumbar spine inflammation, but they weren’t pretty starts. It’s a limited sample size, but Senga’s ERA for the year currently sits at 9.00, which isn’t particularly good. The hope was that, once Senga got healthy, he’d reclaim his perch at the top of the team’s starting rotation.
The problem is that Senga has gotten destroyed in his two most recent rehab outings, as he’s only managed to complete 8.2 total innings of work, giving up six runs (five earned) on 10 hits and four walks. Mendoza has obviously been keeping close tabs on Senga, and while he obviously has not been performing well enough to get activated off the injured list, he still believes the 2023 All-Star will be able to get himself right.
“I watched the last couple of outings, some inconsistency with strike throwing,” Mendoza said, per Ben Krimmel of SNY. “Physically, he feels fine, which is good, but obviously, we need to see some results here now. He’s gotta be able to compete in the strike zone. I’ve been saying it with a lot of our guys. I think it’s just him attacking and dominating Triple-A lineups.”
Mets Need Kodai Senga to Figure Things Out Soon
GettyKodai Senga was an All-Star with the Mets during his rookie season.
With a 28-36 record, it’s clear that the level of urgency in New York right now is quite high. The Mets aren’t out of the playoff hunt just yet, but if they can’t figure things out soon, they are going to be playing out the string of the season by August. Considering the expectations the team entered the year with, that would have to be labeled a massive disappointment.
New York to get its top players back on the field if it wants any shot of pushing its way back into playoff contention. Star shortstop Francisco Lindor also seems to be closing in on a return to action, but again, this team is running out of time. The Mets will look to pick up a hard-fought series victory over the San Diego Padres on Sunday afternoon when they return to action at 4:10 p.m. ET.
Mets Manager Carlos Mendoza Shares Kodai Senga Update After Tough Rehab Outing