After a lengthy stint on the injured list, starting pitcher Kodai Senga made his 2024 debut and helped the New York Mets overtake the Atlanta Braves in the standings. But his momentous return comes at a terrible cost, one that will send him back on the shelf for the remainder of the regular season.
Manager Carlos Mendoza revealed that Senga has a high grade calf strain and is probably out at least until the playoffs, per The Athletic's Will Sammon. The 2023 All-Star allowed two runs and struck out a whopping nine batters in Friday's 8-4 home win before suffering the injury in the sixth inning. His exit was supposed to be precautionary.
But Mets fans know better, so they held their breath anyways and desperately hoped for the best. Their pleas have gone unanswered. Senga missed nearly the first four months of the 2024 campaign with a shoulder injury and could now devastatingly see his year come to an end just when it was getting started.
New York's pitching staff has held things together in his absence and helped the team soar into the No. 1 position in the National League Wild Card race. But few believe this rotation is equipped to carry the burden for the whole season. The Japanese right-hander was ideally the long-term solution who could stabilize the unit should regression occur late in the year.
Can Mets sustain this red-hot run without Senga?
President of baseball operations David Stearns might now have to consider other options. He has until Tuesday's MLB trade deadline to make a big splash. Or, the organization can keep making minor but potentially beneficial additions and trust the capable offense to pick up the slack when necessary.
Besides, it is not as if Mendoza is forced to rely on a bunch of wide-eyed rookies to take the mound. Free agent acquisitions Luis Severino (3.58 ERA) and Sean Manaea (3.74 ERA) are both having underrated seasons and David Peterson is on a tear right now. There is a magical aura hovering above this club. It emerged well before Kodai Senga returned and might just be powerful enough to last until October.
New York has maintained a high level of energy and play for months. Who is to say it is destined to run out? History does not have to apply to this campaign, and the Mets Way can have a positive connotation instead of the foreboding one it typically carries.
The club can prove just that by overcoming this brutal setback. If it survives the NL Wild Card free-for-all and welcomes back Senga for the playoffs, New York will be both battle-tested and dangerous.
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