The New York Mets have been without their ace Kodai Senga since the beginning of the spring.
He was diagnosed with a right shoulder strain and has been slowly working his way back from the injury.
Roster spots are precious at this stage of the season, though, so the Mets made a move on Wednesday that slightly pushes back Senga’s return but gives them a roster spot.
“News: The Mets have transferred Kodai Senga to the 60-day IL. He’s no longer eligible to return until May 27,” Mets insider Anthony DiComo tweeted.
News: The Mets have transferred Kodai Senga to the 60-day IL. He’s no longer eligible to return until May 27.
— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) April 10, 2024
Senga was on the 15-day injured list.
Moving him to the 60-day IL opens up a roster spot, but makes him ineligible to return before May 27.
There was a slight chance he was going to be ready to return before then, but the team will play it safe and push back that date a bit.
In other words: this development doesn’t mean Senga suffered a setback in his recovery.
It’s just the team playing it safe and needing a space on their roster at the time.
Regarding Senga’s road back to MLB, he recently played catch on back-to-back days, so that’s a step in the right direction.
He still needs to gradually increase the throwing distance, hop on a mound to throw a bullpen, then live batting practice, and at least two or three rehab starts in the minor leagues.
If you think about it, late-May sounds about right if there aren’t any setbacks.
The Mets’ rotation is over-performing expectations, but they could always use an arm like Senga’s.
He was impressive as a rookie last year, with a 2.98 ERA and 202 strikeouts in 166.1 innings of work.
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