Mets Eyeing Crucial Series With NL East Rival For Kodai Senga's Return

Find out when the Mets hope to have Kodai Senga return to action.

Feb 14, 2024; Port St. Lucie, FL, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Kodai Senga (34) walks out to the practice fields during workouts at spring training. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports | Jim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Mets are one of the few playoff contenders that aren't in need of starting pitching on the trade market.

And one of the main reasons for this is due to ace Kodai Senga's regular season debut finally being in sight.

On Friday at LoanDepot Park, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza told reporters that Senga will throw 80-85 pitches for Triple-A Syracuse on Saturday. If all goes well today, he will likely be activated from the IL for his next outing, which should come against the Atlanta Braves next weekend.

Carlos Mendoza says Kodai Senga will throw 80-85 pitches in a rehab outing for Triple-A Syracuse tomorrow.

If all goes well, Senga could rejoin the Mets during their home series against the Braves next weekend. pic.twitter.com/cHOM5PXL2d

— SNY (@SNYtv) July 19, 2024

The Mets were contemplating the idea of bringing Senga back to the big-league rotation this weekend in Miami for their four-game series with the Marlins. However, they decided the better route was to give him a fourth rehab start.

New York's rotation has performed well without Senga, who has missed the entire season to this date after straining his shoulder and later injuring his triceps. The Mets' "default" stance will be to shift to a six-man rotation once Senga returns, as president of baseball operations David Stearns revealed earlier in the month.

David Stearns believes that the Mets' "default stance" will be a 6-man rotation once Kodai Senga returns pic.twitter.com/KI8utc9zHh

— SNY (@SNYtv) July 9, 2024

With Senga expected to return in about a week or so, the Mets' starting pitching depth will get even stronger down the stretch of the season. The 31-year-old righty will join Luis Severino, Sean Manaea, Jose Quintana, David Peterson and rookie Christian Scott in an already impressive unit.

Getting Senga back is a major boost for the rotation, but the Mets still need bullpen arms. With the trade deadline approaching on July 30, Stearns will likely be active in this area after acquiring righty reliever Phil Maton from the Tampa Bay Rays on July 9.

The good news is that the Mets don't need to worry about adding starting pitching this year, unlike most playoff caliber teams.