Mets' Kodai Senga struggles through his second minor league start

The struggles continued for New York Mets starter Kodai Senga in his latest Triple-A outing.

Senga managed just 3.2 innings in his second start for the Syracuse Mets, allowing six hits, four earned runs, and two walks on 81 pitches (46 strikes). It's a discouraging sign for the 32-year-old as he looks to work his way back into the major league rotation before the end of the season.

Kodai Senga tonight for Triple-A Syracuse:

3.2 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 4 K pic.twitter.com/2QzK7iu4Iu
— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) September 19, 2025

Mendoza, Mets won't commit to Kodai Senga for the postseason

After a challenging two-month stretch, the club approached Senga with their desire to option him to Triple-A to address his struggles and free up a spot in the rotation for Brandon Sproat. The terms of Senga's contract allowed him to deny the option, but the right-hander reportedly felt "respected by the process" and accepted the option "without issue," understanding the team's plan moving forward.

Unfortunately for the player and the club, Thursday's start didn't prove much in the way of his progress. In his first start for Syracuse, Senga made a strong statement, tossing six innings of one-run ball with just three hits and no walks.

Kodai Senga struck out eight in six innings tonight for Triple-A Syracuse 🔥

His final line: 6 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 8 K pic.twitter.com/U1PbB38jxA
— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) September 13, 2025

Manager Carlos Mendoza was impressed by his pitcher following the outing, emphasizing the importance of Senga's mentality of attacking and throwing strikes, resulting in eight strikeouts.

"Pretty much every pitch was working," Mendoza said. "So that’s a really good sign there."

But the Mets skipper seemingly changed his tune on Thursday when asked if Senga would "definitely" be called up if they make the playoffs.

"I wouldn't say definitely," Mendoza stated. "I think we'll have the conversations, and we'll take the best 13 guys that we feel are going to give us the best chance to win baseball games in October."

Carlos Mendoza is asked if Kodai Senga will "definitely" be part of the Mets' possible postseason pitching staff if he continues to have success in Triple-A:

"I wouldn't say definitely. We'll have the conversations and we'll take the best 13 guys" pic.twitter.com/blND2HZ5ee
— SNY (@SNYtv) September 18, 2025

After just one start, Mendoza was hesitant to believe Senga had many any large strides towards returning to the early season form that made him a clear standout in the Mets' rotation. Following Thursday night's start against the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, it appears Mendoza was right to be wary.

Senga allowed a lead-off single in the first inning but battled back to strand the runner with three pop flies. After retiring the first two batters in the second frame, he allowed another base hit before getting out of the inning with a "ghost fork" strikeout. Senga hit the lead-off man in the third and allowed his third hit of the game but was able to keep Lehigh Valley scoreless through three.

But things fell apart for the right-hander in the fourth inning. Senga allowed a single and a walk to start the inning, followed by a strikeout. The next batter hit a ground-rule double, and then a wild pitch and single brought home three runs for the IronPigs. Senga then issued a five-pitch walk and was pulled after 81 pitches.

The veteran did not look sharp in a game where the Mets were closely monitoring his control. After Mendoza had praised Senga, highlighting "the fact that there [were] no walks last time when he pitched in Triple-A," he struggled to keep the ball over the plate and allowed two walks in the short outing.

The Mets have just nine regular season games remaining, and each will prove crucial in their postseason hopes. If Senga's struggles continue, the club will have no choice but to look elsewhere for production.

Mendoza, Mets won't commit to Kodai Senga for the postseason

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