Kodai Senga could potentially return for the New York Mets in the National League Division Series against the Philadelphia Phillies. According to team sources, club officials are currently in discussions regarding his activation.

The 2024 season has been challenging for the New York Mets. The misfortune for the Mets began during spring training when their ace, right-handed pitcher Kodai Senga, was sidelined with a shoulder capsule strain. Senga did not take the field during spring and started the regular season on the 15-day injured list.

After finishing second in the Rookie of the Year voting last season, Senga has made just one start during the regular season. His injury kept him out from the beginning of spring training until late July, when he finally took the mound. In that outing, he recorded nine strikeouts over 5 1/3 innings but ended up with a calf strain.

Kodai Senga's long road to recovery

New York Mets starting pitcher Kodai Senga (34) looks back at the main scoreboard during the fourth inning against the Atlanta Braves at Citi Field.
Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Senga, the right-hander, has been recuperating from triceps tightness he sustained during a minor league rehab start two weeks ago. Before this issue arose, Mets officials were considering using Senga in the regular season, potentially as an opener or in a relief role.

The Japanese pitcher has not gained enough endurance in his recovery from a calf strain to qualify for a full start. Consequently, if he is assessed as ready to aid the Mets, the most likely situation would involve limiting him to 30-40 pitches in a role that is still to be defined.

Earlier this week, Senga tossed 25 pitches during a live bullpen session in Florida.

Senga had an outstanding rookie year with the Mets last season, recording a 2.98 ERA and a WHIP of 1.22 in 29 starts. He earned an All-Star selection, placed second in the NL Rookie of the Year voting, and received several votes for the NL Cy Young Award.

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It is probable that Senga could only offer the Mets a brief appearance, potentially one or two innings.

Consequently, discussions focus on whether it is worthwhile to allocate a roster spot for this limited role instead of someone who could contribute more innings. As of Thursday evening, the team had not reached a decision, with rosters needing to be finalized by Saturday morning.

Mets mulling over Game 1 starter vs Phillies

Tylor Megill has become a contender to start Game 1 of the NLDS in Philadelphia. David Peterson, who would have been pitching on full rest on Saturday, was used from the bullpen on Thursday. The left-handed pitcher delivered a scoreless ninth inning, which may have removed him from consideration to start Game 1 against the Phillies.

Team officials will evaluate whether to select Megill or Peterson for the starting role. Megill was out of the wild-card series roster after making the start in the game that secured a postseason spot against the Braves on Monday.

The Mets are now 4-5 in winner-take-all postseason games. Their last appearance in such a game came in 2022, when the Padres eliminated them in Game 3 of the wild-card series. Before this victory, they last triumphed in a winner-take-all situation during Game 5 of the NLDS against the Dodgers in 2015.