New York Mets' Ace Nearing Rehab Assignment With Return on The Horizon

The New York Mets could be getting their ace back in the near future after being without him all season.

Oct 1, 2023; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Kodai Senga (34) watches from the dugout during the ninth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports | Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

NEW YORK - With the Subway Series set to begin on Tuesday night at Citi Field, the New York Mets' ace delivered some promising news ahead of his team's first matchup of the season against the cross-town rival New York Yankees.

Right-handed starting pitcher Kodai Senga told reporters that he intends to begin a minor league rehab assignment next week. Senga is set to throw another live bullpen session against hitters on Thursday, so as long as he comes away feeling good afterwards the next step will be getting back into live game action for the first time in 2024.

Senga shared that he feels good both physically and mechanically through his interpreter. He will likely need at least 3-5 rehab starts due to the amount of time he has missed this year.

This is a great sign for Senga and the Mets, as the 31-year-old has been sidelined since late-February with both a shoulder strain and then a triceps induced setback that halted his rehab.

Without Senga, the Mets' starting rotation hasn't been a glaring weakness, but they do rank just 24th in baseball with a 4.47 ERA as a staff.

The Mets are back in the thick of the NL Wild Card race, sitting just 1.5 games back of the final spot, and 2.5 out of the second position. New York is 15-6 in their last 21 games and have climbed back from the dead with a record of 37-39.

Top prospect righty Christian Scott (no. 3 in Mets' farm system) is likely to rejoin the big-league rotation in the coming weeks, and paired with Senga could give the team a lethal duo atop their starting staff.

Senga was the runner-up for NL Rookie of the Year in 2023 after posting a 2.98 ERA with 202 strikeouts across 29 starts (166.1 innings). The expectation is that he will be able to come off the IL after the All-Star break in mid-July, and his presence should provide a major boost to the Mets' rotation.