NY Mets place ace pitcher Kodai Senga on 60-day IL following shoulder injury

After signing a five-year, $75 million contract last season, Senga was expected to become the number three pitcher of the team due to the experienced duo of Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer. However, both of them had disappointing starts to the season which saw them being traded away which lead to Senga becoming the team’s No.1 pitcher.

He would go on to have a breakthrough season and finished the year 2023 with a 12-7 record while having an ERA of 2.98 and picking up 202 strikeouts. This saw him finish runner-up to Corbin Caroll for the Rookie of the Year award. As a result of this, the expectations were high on his shoulders for the 2024 season as the team hoped to turn around the fortunes this year.

With Senga now on the 60-day injured list, the earliest he will be eligible to return is May 27. However, that is not a guarantee as his return will depend on how fast his rehab goes. In the meantime, the Mets have used his spot to call up left-handed reliever Tyler Jay from Triple-A Syracuse to fill up their 40-man roster.

Mets’ coach Carlos Mendoza comments on development regarding Kodai Senga

For many MLB fans, the placement of Kodai Senga on the 60-day injured list was something that was bound to happen as the organization had decided it pretty early on. When asked about this development by SNY, Mets’ coach Carlos Mendoza claimed this was “not a setback” to the team.

Mendoza would go on to explain how this was something they had know for a while and informed that it will take a while before everyone gets to see Senga back in action.

It’s not a setback, nothing is wrong with him. It’s just we knew it was gonna take some time. And with him still throwing flat ground and things like that – he hasn’t even gotten on the mound – so he’s gonna be a few weeks before we see him. Carlos Mendoza said

The team did have the chance to find a replacement for Senga in the offseason. However, President of Baseball Operations, David Stearns‘ decided not to do so despite the backing of owner Steve Cohen. Stearns wanted the others from the team to step up in this difficult period.

So far this season, the Mets are 4-7 with five losses coming in their home ground. In Senga’ absence however, the starting pitchers have done good and are currently ranked ninth in the majors with an ERA of 3.33.