For the first time in months, Kodai Senga’s rehab appears to be moving along without any setbacks.
The Mets right-hander threw his third bullpen Saturday at Citi Field, with this one being the equivalent of roughly two innings. It might not seem significant, but considering all of the hurdles that Senga has had to cross since he injured his shoulder in February, a third bullpen is a promising step forward.
“He felt good, so yeah, it’s a good sign,” said manager Carlos Mendoza. “He’ll throw another one in the middle next week, and then hopefully, you know, we can move to the next phase, which is facing hitters.”
Senga threw about 30-35 pitches, sitting twice for about 15 minutes each time. This was a positive indicator, considering the ace struggled to get up and down the last time he entered the bullpen phase and ended up with tricep soreness that required a cortisone shot and a brief shutdown. The 31-year-old last faced hitters in late April, but then took a step back to work on his mechanics, saying it was necessary in order to prevent further injury and to be effective in his return.
At the time, he was working toward a late-May or early-June return, but the Mets have since abandoned that timeline and are expecting him to miss the rest of the first half. Should Senga be healthy enough to return following the All-Star break, he would give the pitching staff a boost in the middle of a playoff race.
However, there are no guarantees that the Mets will remain in position to make a push for the postseason. The Mets are currently three games out of the second NL Wild Card spot after winning seven of their last nine games, but 10 other teams are ahead of them.
DREAM DAY
As part of SNY’s Dream Day program, the Mets hosted eight-year-old Shane McCooe at Citi Field on Saturday. McCooe is currently battling B-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia and in the second phase of his dual-phase treatment. The Mets gave McCooe and his family a personal tour of the facility, surprised him by bringing him onto the field for batting practice and introduced him to the team.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Outfielder Starling Marte was out of the lineup Saturday with knee soreness. The injury came up last week in Washington and Marte was limited to one game on the London turf against the Philadelphia Phillies last weekend. Since the Mets returned stateside, Marte has played in all four games at home, but complained of knee soreness after Friday night’s game. The Mets are not concerned about the injury and will have Marte available off the bench.
