Kodai Senga's lack of durability will surprisingly help Mets long-term

There is one major benefit for the New York Mets when it comes to Kodai Senga's inability to stay on the field.

Aug 2, 2025; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Kodai Senga (34) pitches against the San Francisco Giants during the first inning at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The New York Mets landed a huge upgrade for their starting rotation when they signed Kodai Senga as a free agent ahead of the 2023 season.

A star in Japan before coming over to MLB, he had the skill to become a legitimate ace in North America, someone the Mets could build their starting rotation around for years to come.

As a rookie, he certainly lived up to expectations, making 29 starts and throwing 166.1 innings with an impressive 2.98 ERA and 202 strikeouts. Senga also made the National League All-Star team, finished seventh in NL Cy Young Award voting, and was second in the NL Rookie of the Year Race, behind only Corbin Carroll of the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Unfortunately, while Senga has regularly performed like an ace when on the mound, he has also struggled to stay healthy during his tenure with the franchise to this point, making only 47 starts across three seasons. In 2024, he made just one regular season appearance due to shoulder and calf injuries, the latter of which he suffered in his only appearance. This year, Senga was cleared for a full workload but landed on the IL with a hamstring strain on June 13. He's made 17 starts this year so far, with 89.2 innings pitched.

If the Mets want to be even better than they currently are, they absolutely need Kodai Senga to pitch like his old self. pic.twitter.com/qvA5YFquPQ

— Mets Batflip (@metsbatflip1) August 4, 2025

Read More: Kodai Senga turns in third straight rough start for the Mets

While all these injuries are frustrating, there is something that will benefit the Mets in the coming years.

As shared by Michael Baron of Just Mets, Senga has an incentive in his contract that if he threw 400 innings in his first three Major League campaigns, he could trigger an opt-out clause in his contract and become a free agent.

For post deadline and future planning purposes, it's worth mentioning Kodai Senga is at 257 IP since he came to the #Mets. He needs to get to 400 IP to trigger his ability to opt out for this winter.

That will obviously not happen. He will be with them through at least 2027.

— Michael Baron (@michaelgbaron) August 1, 2025

That number will not be reached, with him sitting at only 261.1 frames with two months remaining in the 2025 regular season. Unable to opt out of his contract, Senga will be under team control through at least 2027, while there is a team option in place for 2028.

A five-year, $75 million deal, even with the injuries Senga has endured, has provided New York with a ton of value and will continue to do so as long as he performs at the level he has thus far in his career; the $15 million AAV is tied for 43rd amongst starting pitchers in baseball. The 32-year-old has performed at a much better rate than some of his peers who are making more money than him yearly.

With Senga around for at least the next two seasons as well as this one, the hope is that he can stay on the field and continue to give the Mets ace-caliber production.