Mets manager gets blunt about Kodai Senga's struggles

New York Mets manager Carlos Mendoza didn't mince words when speaking about another mediocre start from Kodai Senga.

Aug 20, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Kodai Senga (34) prepares to throw a pitch against the Washington Nationals during the first inning at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images | Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images

After the New York Mets produced a three-game sweep against their NL East rival Philadelphia Phillies earlier this week, the sentiment among the fan base was that New York's seemingly endless losing skid was finally in the rearview mirror, and this team was turning a corner heading into the postseason.

Then the Mets lost three games out of four against the Miami Marlins before they head out on a 10-game road trip. New York's 5-1 loss on August 31 was especially frustrating, given that Kodai Senga struggled once again.

Senga gave up 5 earned runs in just 4.2 innings pitched. Therefore, this marks the 10th consecutive start that Senga has failed to go six innings (his last time doing so was on June 6), which adds a lot of pressure on New York's bullpen.

Aug 14, 2025; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Kodai Senga (34) pitches against the Atlanta Braves during the first inning at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Not to mention that Senga has been subpar aside from not being able to pitch late in games, which is shown by his 0-3 record, 6.06 ERA, 35 hits, 19 walks, and just 30 strikeouts in his past seven appearances (32.2 innings pitched).

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Mets' Carlos Mendoza Suggests Kodai Senga Change is Necessary

New York manager Carlos Mendoza spoke with the media after Sunday's loss. And he didn't mince words when it came to Senga's recent struggles.

“We’ve got to get him right, obviously. I’m pretty sure we’re going to have some discussion about what’s next for him. But our job is to get him right. But it’s been a struggle. It has been a struggle. And again, we’ll see what’s next for him," Mendoza said of Senga, per an X post from SNY.

"We've got to get him right. I'm pretty sure we're going to have some discussion, what's next for him. Our job is to get him right."

Carlos Mendoza talks about Kodai Senga's struggles: pic.twitter.com/JAOZDpDUvJ

— SNY (@SNYtv) August 31, 2025

An August 31 article from SNY's Alex Smith also quoted Mendoza as saying, “I think a lot of the things that we’ve seen the past couple of weeks or so where [Senga is] having a hard time coming in the strike zone, a lot of uncompetitive pitches, ball out of the hand, and then he’s having a hard time competing in the strike zone. We saw it today, every time he came in, they made him pay... but it’s just executing and not getting ahead enough.

“When you get behind hitters, it’s hard to compete at this level," Mendoza added.

To cap things off, Mendoza said, "We've been trying to fix him for quite a bit now, you know? Whether it's the mechanics, he said he feels fine physically, but we're not seeing results. Like I said, he's having a hard time competing in the strike zone," per SNY.

"He's having a hard time competing in the strike zone."

Carlos Mendoza talks more about Kodai Senga's struggles and how the Mets can help him return to form: pic.twitter.com/JxtrYl8mgX

— SNY (@SNYtv) August 31, 2025

Mendoza's sense of frustration surely stems from his understanding of how badly the Mets need Senga to pitch to his potential if they have any chance of reaching their goals this season.