Mets pitcher Kodai Senga experienced tightness in his right triceps during a minor league rehab game and will not pitch in the regular season.
Mets manager Carlos Mendoza mentioned on Sunday that the 31-year-old right-hander might participate in a bullpen session and could still be an option for the postseason.
Senga pitched a hitless inning with one walk and two strikeouts for Triple-A Syracuse on Saturday night. This was his first rehab outing since straining his left calf in his season debut on July 26. He threw eight out of 15 pitches for strikes.
“He felt like he could continue to pitch, but he just wanted to play it safe,” Mendoza said. “It’s been a hard year for him. He’s worked his tail off. You feel for him.
Every time he wants to push it and he wants to take the baseball, then he’s dealing with something. Hopefully this is nothing serious but it’s going to set him back a little bit as far as game competition at the big league level.”
Senga joined the Mets before the 2023 season on a five-year, $75 million contract and became an All-Star in his first year. He has a record of 12-7 with a 2.98 ERA in 29 starts and finished second in the NL Rookie of the Year voting.
Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns said on February 15 that an MRI showed a capsule strain in Senga’s pitching shoulder. This scan was done after Senga reported shoulder fatigue following throwing sessions.
Senga made four minor league rehab starts from July 3-20. In one game against Atlanta on July 20, he allowed two runs and two hits over 5 1/3 innings. He left that game after his 102nd pitch due to the calf strain. He struck out nine batters and retired his last ten batters.
“He’s a competitor and he knows that we are a better team if he’s healthy,” Mendoza said. “He’s going to continue to try everything that he can in his power to be available for us.”
