Mets Notebook: What to expect as Kodai Senga nears return

MIAMI — Finally, the light is at the end of the tunnel for Mets ace Kodai Senga and his lengthy rehab from a spring training shoulder injury. The Mets are tentatively planning to activate him off the 60-day injured list this week to make his season debut Friday when the Mets host the Atlanta Braves.

“At the end of the day, it’s how he’s feeling, and then we’ve got to wait and see how today goes and tomorrow,” manager Carlos Mendoza said Sunday at LoanDepot Park. “Hopefully he’s with us next time out.”

Senga made a rehab start with Triple-A Syracuse on Saturday night against the Rochester Red Wings. The results didn’t look great on paper: five earned runs on eight hits, three walks and one strikeout over only three innings. However, he hit 99 MPH and threw 79 pitches.

The Mets equate his rehab results to spring training results. Senga was diagnosed with a mild right capsular strain in March, leaving him out of action during the Grapefruit League season. His rehab assignment served as his de facto “spring training.”

“They made a work and the split wasn’t there, but I think it just comes down to him feeling good and how the ball is coming out,” Mendoza said. “Look, this is his [fourth] outing, it’s kind of like spring training for him. You know, when you go through this — through spring training — you’re going to have some outings where it’s going to be a struggle, it’s going to be a battle. And I think that was the case for him yesterday.

“But at the end of the day, it’s about, how is he feeling physically? He keeps saying he feels good and looks good.”

Senga was working on a few specific things in Syracuse, telling SNY that he was “trying out different things,” but the Mets didn’t know the specifics. A veteran of the Japanese leagues, Senga loves to fool around with various elements of hit pitches and pickoff moves during bullpen sessions and exhibition starts, so the Mets were not surprised.

“I think he doesn’t want to be bad,” said pitching coach Jeremy Hefner. “I think he wanted to pitch better, but I don’t think he was worried about the results. He’s mostly worried about being healthy and making sure his shoulder, his elbow and body feel good.”

The 31-year-old right-hander will rejoin the Mets on Tuesday at Yankee Stadium to throw a bullpen session. The training and coaching staff will then evaluate how he feels the following day and make a final determination for Friday. Should he start Friday, the Mets will limit him to around five innings and 85 pitches, which is about what he built up to throwing this month during his rehab assignment. The Mets also plan to go to a six-man rotation to be able to give him the extra day of rest he has become accustomed to.

This creates some questions for the bullpen. The Mets currently have three long relievers in right-handers Adrian Houser, Jose Butto and Dedniel Nuñez. While they aren’t afraid to use Nuñez or Butto in high- and medium-leverage innings or for one-inning outings, they may need the length. That means parting ways with a left-handed reliever.

The Mets could designate struggling veteran Jake Diekman for assignment, but the more likely outcome is optioning Danny Young back to Triple-A.

“I don’t think it’s necessarily a bad thing to have some length down there, but I think you’ve just, we just got to take it day by day,” Hefner said. “There will be days where it’s going to look great, and then other times it might not look so great just because we got to use guys in the bullpen maybe longer than we’d want them to or what have you. You try to make the best decision you possibly can over the, you know, a very short amount of time and that window just moves every day.”

After sitting out the entire first half of the season, Senga is extremely eager to join the team and compete for a playoff spot.

“I think he’s eager,” Hefner said. “I think he sees where the team’s at and knows kind of what we’re up against these last two and a half months, and wants to be a part of it.”

NOTES

The Mets signed eight of 20 picks from the 2024 First-Year Player Draft on Saturday, including their second-round selection, left-hander Jonathan Santucci. In addition, the Mets signed five college undrafted free agents.

Minor league right-hander TJ Shook was acquired from the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for left-hander Tyler Jay, who was designated for assignment twice this season.