Kodai Senga will remain in the New York Mets’ rotation — for now.
Manager Carlos Mendoza said Saturday that the club has yet to decide if Senga will make his next start after his latest disastrous outing. The embattled pitcher was tagged for seven runs (six earned) over 3.1 innings in Friday’s 12-4 loss to the Chicago Cubs, which raised his ERA to 8.83 through four starts this season.
The Mets are 1-3 in Senga’s starts and 7-13 overall, having lost nine straight games.
Mets Trying to Solve Senga’s Issues
As Senga’s struggles continue, Mendoza acknowledged the need to figure out what’s wrong.
“We’ve got to help him,” Mendoza said, via Newsday’s Laura Albanese.
It’s been all downhill for Senga since a strong start to the season, in which he allowed four runs while striking out 16 over his first 11.2 innings. He also looked strong during spring training, recapturing the same form he showed during his All-Star rookie season in 2023.
“Started off pretty good the first couple of outings,” Mendoza said, via SNY. “Coming out of spring training, we saw a different guy, but then the last two I think the intent hasn’t been there. We saw the velo at the beginning and now it’s more like feeling for the strike zone, more like pitchability — trying to mix cutters, sweepers as opposed to going right after people which is what we saw in spring training and the first two outings.”
Friday marked the second straight outing in which Senga failed to pitch past the fourth inning. On April 11 against the Athletics, the right-hander allowed seven runs on eight hits over 2.1 innings in an 11-6 loss.
Mets Determining Next Steps for Senga
Senga, 33, isn’t the only Mets starter going through a rough patch. Left-hander David Peterson, an All-Star in 2025, is 0-3 with a 6.41 ERA through four starts. Peterson gave up four runs over five frames in Monday’s 4-0 defeat to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
It’s uncertain what the Mets will do if Senga continues to falter. Senga accepted a minor league assignment last September after posting a 6.56 ERA in eight starts from July 21 to Aug. 31. All 56 of his appearances with the Mets have come as a starter, making a shift to the bullpen unlikely.
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