The Mets’ rotation has gotten a huge helping hand from rookies Nolan McLean and Jonah Tong over the past few weeks, which has helped paper over a series of underwhelming performances from the veterans who were expected to hold down key roles. Frankie Montas pitched in only nine games and recorded a 6.28 ERA before going down with a UCL injury that will require surgery. Sean Manaea’s three-year, $75MM deal began with a lengthy IL stint for an oblique strain, and he’s now pitched in 10 games with a 5.60 ERA.
On the surface, it may seem odd to lump Kodai Senga and his excellent 3.02 ERA in with those other struggling veterans, but Senga has floundered through his past eight starts. The 32-year-old righty has totaled just 35 2/3 innings in that time while being tagged for a 6.56 earned run average. He’s walked 13% of his opponents in that stretch and surrendered a woeful 2.02 homers per nine innings pitched.
Senga’s struggles have been significant enough that the Mets have at least considered the possibility of sending him to the minors, Will Sammon of The Athletic reports. That’s not as straightforward of a decision as it would be with most pitchers; Senga’s five-year, $75MM contract stipulates that he cannot be optioned to the minor leagues without his consent. Sammon notes that Senga said Tuesday that he’s willing to do whatever is necessary to turn things around.
Still, it’d be a surprising development, given not only Senga’s prior runner-up finish in 2023 Rookie of the Year voting but also his general excellence to begin the season. Senga started 13 games before a hamstring strain sent him to the injured list on June 13. In those 13 games, he pitched 73 2/3 innings (5 2/3 innings per start) and recorded an immaculate 1.47 ERA. His rate stats didn’t support that level of dominance (23.9 K%, 10.6 BB%), but metrics like FIP (3.24) and SIERA (4.27) didn’t think he was due for the type of regression he’s since experienced.
Perhaps that hamstring strain led him to develop some bad mechanical habits, or perhaps he’s still feeling some discomfort. It’s also feasible that there could simply be some fatigue setting in after Senga missed nearly all of the 2024 season due to shoulder and calf injuries. Whatever the cause, this is the most sustained stretch of struggles that Senga has encountered since making the move from Nippon Professional Baseball to Major League Baseball. With the Mets overwhelmingly likely to reach the postseason, it’d make sense to take any measures necessary to get Senga back to form ahead of the playoffs.
Elsewhere on the roster, injuries continue to pile up. The Mets placed outfielder Tyrone Taylor on the 10-day IL due to a left hamstring strain yesterday, recalling Jared Young from Triple-A Syracuse in his place. The IL placement was backdated to Aug. 30. Manager Carlos Mendoza expressed optimism that Taylor wouldn’t require a long stint on the shelf but said the team felt it had little choice after Taylor was rested for three days but still unable to run close to full speed Monday (link via Steve Kornacki of MLB.com).
Taylor had struggled at the plate for most of the season but finally appeared to be turning a corner. He’d collected three multi-hit performances in his past seven games, going 10-for-21 with four doubles and three walks (.476/.542/.667). It’s a small sample, of course, and Taylor is still hitting just .218/.277/.315 overall, but getting his bat going in the season’s final month would’ve been a nice perk headed into postseason play. He’s provided outstanding defense throughout the year and also gone 11-for-13 on the basepaths.
With Taylor sidelined, it’s possible that Starling Marte could see some occasional reps in the outfield. He’s been a designated hitter 65 times this season, compared to just eight games in the field, but the 36-year-old has had a resurgent season at the plate. After hitting just .258/.314/.357 from 2023-24, Marte has turned back the clock with a .280/.358/.432 batting line in 272 plate appearances. This year’s eight home runs are already more than he hit in either 2023 or 2024 (despite considerably more plate appearances those seasons). His 18.4% strikeout rate is his lowest since 2020.
While Marte’s downturn in performance from 2023-24 might’ve led to some speculation about whether he’d continue playing after his four-year contract concludes at the end of the 2025 season, this year’s performance shows he still has something left in the tank. There may not be a great fit with the Mets — Brandon Nimmo and Juan Soto are in the outfield corners, and the Mets have several infield options to cycle through the DH spot — but Marte tells MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo that he plans to continue playing beyond the ’25 season.
Marte, 37 in October, isn’t going to find the same kind of lucrative multi-year deal in free agency that he did when he signed a four-year, $78MM contract with the Mets, but he’s hitting well enough that he should still command a major league contract. Marte’s once-plus speed has faded, and he’s now in just the 29th percentile of big leaguers for sprint speed, per Statcast, but his arm strength still grades out quite well. Another limited outfield role with frequent DH work would make sense for him moving forward, even if it’s with another team.
Well, I hate to say I told you so but I was right about Senga. He was overperforming and it caught up to him.
mlbtraderumors.com/2025/06/mets-to-place-kodai-sen…
Old York:
OK, but to be fair, he has had a track record of success before. Although limited based on a shorter career in the majors. He was overperforming, but as the article stated, not to this extent. What’s more likely is that he didn’t pitch at all last year and pitching all these innings has probably created some fatigue. Plus he really hasn’t been right since the hamstring injury. Look at the numbers before and after that injury.
You called him a “below league average pitcher”, which is wrong, so maybe you should wait before taking a victory lap.
@rct
Yes, I’m stating a fact. You’re stating your emotional opinion. But, I know you’re just a basic fan of one team and wouldn’t understand the difference.
Senga has arm fatigue. A period of rest or even tune up in the minors can help otherwise injury is inevitable . Sproat might be called up soon. Holmes is fatigued as well and needs 6 man rotation.
4 regular season starts left for these gentlemen. Gut check time.
Can Marte play first? It would enhance his opportunities even as a back up.
Of course he could play first. It’s easy. Tell him, Wash.
This is definitely not the Mets front office of previous years. In the case of Senga possibly getting optioned, I really applaud that they’re playing the people who are performing best and not just the ones who have the biggest names. Given that he’s about to get embarrassed with a demotion to the minors, maybe Senga will get frustrated with the Mets and opt out this off-season. Considering it seems he can only pitch well when he’s feeling absolutely perfect, it might be addition by subtraction… and given how crazy the pitching market is, Senga might just come out ahead anyway even with his struggles in the second half.
The rotation is atrocious outside of McLean. Senga has been terrible, Holmes can barely get through 4 innings. Peterson has been terrible lately and Manaea is unwatchable. The bullpen has 2 valuable arms.
carlos15:
But all these guys have a track record of success, even as recent as this season. They don’t have much time left, but there’s certainly reason believe they can get it turned around. Not to mention Jonah Tong is still a wild card in all of this. Don’t let recency bias completely alter your opinion.
I would try using Senga and Manaea in tandem in the 5th rotation slot. McLean, Peterson, Tong, and Holmes ahead of them.
Marte has been surprisingly good this year. I hope he signs with the Pirates to finish his career along with McCutcheon.
Senga needs everything to be perfect in order for him to pitch well. There has probably been something off about his delivery or something hasn’t felt 100% right that is causing him to pitch bad
Senga cannot pitch in cool or cold weather even when healthy. It is an issue. If his other pitches are not competitive and he falls behind in the count, the “ghost fork” becomes useless because hitters can lay off the fork ball. He needs his catcher of the day to recognize what pitch is working that day and call a game according to that. Peterson will be fine. Holmes can be a bullpen asset in the playoffs if mclean, tong, Peterson, and either menaea/Senga can hold down the rotation. What if Peterson and Holmes get rested by skipping a start each and use Sproat to help them. The Cincinnati series is huge because winning NL east seems tough unless Phillies get in trouble within wheeler but wildcard is doable. In the playoffs the Mets can be dangerous.