New Kodai Senga Injury Setback Jeopardizes His Mets Future Even More

Kodai Senga's return to the Mets' lineup hasn't gone as smoothly as he had hoped. | Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

With every day that passes, it seems more and more likely that Kodai Senga has already pitched his final inning with the Mets. Senga has been rehabbing since late April after being placed on the 15-day injured list. Unfortunately, on Tuesday, the 33-year-old was scratched ahead of his Double-A appearance after suffering ulnar nerve irritation.

Kodai Senga will not start today for Double-A Binghamton due to ulnar nerve irritation in his right arm pic.twitter.com/0GpbNFuKFf

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) June 9, 2026

The injury is typically viewed as severe, with recovery time ranging from three to six months. In 2025, Liam Hendriks faced a similar injury while with the Red Sox, undergoing surgery to relieve the irritation and sidelining him for five months. As of right now, it’s unknown whether Senga will need surgery, but yet again, the veteran proves his inconsistency in the Mets rotation.

Interestingly, the Mets believe that Senga is still just “day-to-day,” with manager Carlos Mendoza declaring that he won’t be taken off his rehab assignment just yet, per ESPN's Jorge Castillo.

“It’s not like it’s inflamed; I wouldn’t say this is an injury,” Senga said when asked what he felt in his arm, via SNY Mets. “Going back to what I said earlier, continuing to strive for those mechanics, striving for health and getting back to the field, I don’t think is too far.”

Kodai Senga hasn’t shown any progress

Every disappointing update about Senga seems to bring him one step closer to being kicked out of Queens.

The results have been very disappointing for the 33-year-old, who has posted a 9.00 ERA through five starts while holding an 0-4 record. His rehab hasn’t been any better, as he has pitched 12 innings through three starts with a 5.25 ERA and 1.58 WHIP.

“Obviously, the performance hasn’t been great on the field,” Senga said. “Been practicing a little bit more, and with that comes a little bit more fatigue.”

For the Mets, their rotation is currently slimmed down to a three-man strategy, with two bullpen games through each cycle. Senga returning to the majors likely would’ve given them one fewer bullpen game, but instead they’ll have to continue relying on bulk innings.

The biggest problem for the Mets is that Senga holds a full no-trade clause in the five-year, $75 million contract he signed in 2023. The next step would be designating him for assignment, which would cost the Mets up to $23 million over the next two seasons due to guaranteed money. It’s time for President of Baseball Operations David Stearns to determine whether swallowing the money on a player who can never be relied upon is worth it at this point.