Mets' Kodai Senga suffers setback, skips bullpen session
Mets pitcher Kodai Senga looks on from the dugout during an MLB game against the Phillies at Citi Field on May 14. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
CLEVELAND — Last week, Kodai Senga took a step back.
Now, he has suffered a setback.
Senga experienced tightness in his right tricep Sunday and did not throw his scheduled bullpen session, manager Carlos Mendoza said.
The Mets believe it to be a minor issue and anticipate Senga getting back on the mound by the end of the week. But little has gone according to plan in the three months he has been sidelined with a strained right shoulder.
“With him coming back from a shoulder injury, he didn’t want to risk it or push it,” Mendoza said. “He decided not to throw his bullpen. But doctors gave it a look and the concern right now is low. Hopefully, he throws again [Tuesday] and he’s back on the mound soon.”
Given Senga’s previous decision to pull back from facing hitters to focus on sorting out his mechanics, followed by this detour, whether he pitches for the Mets at all prior to the mid-July All-Star break is in question.
“I wouldn’t say frustration,” Mendoza said. “We continue to deal with a unique athlete. He doesn’t want to push it. [Sunday] he felt like it wasn’t the day for him to get on the mound and let it all out. He decided to just be patient about it and we’ll continue to work with him.”
Homecoming
In his first visit back to his original major-league home, the city and organization with which he once thought he’d spend his entire career, Francisco Lindor saved his biggest and most excited-looking hug for an obvious recipient: Carlos Carrasco.
This is the first time in Lindor’s 10 seasons — six with Cleveland, now a fourth in New York — that Carrasco is not his teammate. They got traded to the Mets together in January 2021.
“That’s my brother,” Lindor said. “He saw my best moments here, my worst moments here in Cleveland. Then he saw some of my best moments in New York and some of my worst moments in New York as well. There’s a lot of emotions . . . It’s special to see him.”
Carrasco rejoined Cleveland on a minor-league contract shortly before spring training and won a rotation spot during camp. He’ll face the Mets on Tuesday.
“That’s the same way he hugged me on Sept. 1, 2019, when I came back from leukemia in Tampa, my first game coming back out of the bullpen,” Carrasco said. “It felt like that. He’s special for me.”
Extra bases
Highlighting a series of transactions Monday: Joey Wendle was released (a formality after he was designated for assignment last week). The Mets owe him his entire $2 million salary . . . They also optioned Grant Hartwig to Triple-A Syracuse, which cleared a roster spot for starter Tylor Megill in his return from the injured list . . . And they traded Yohan Ramirez to the Dodgers for cash. This season, the Mets have sold Ramirez’s contract to two of the best teams in baseball, including the Orioles last month . . . Ohio native and former reliever Tommy Hunter visited the Mets with his family.
Tim Healey is the Mets beat writer for Newsday. Born on Long Island and raised in Connecticut, Tim has previously worked for the South Florida Sun Sentinel, the Boston Globe and MLB.com. He is also the author of “Hometown Hardball,” a book about minor league baseball in the northeast.
