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Tylor Megill

Tylor Megill Undergoes Tommy John Surgery

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Mets right-hander Tylor Megill underwent Tommy John surgery yesterday. Anthony DiComo of MLB.com was among those to relay the news. Megill will miss the remainder of this year and likely all of 2026 as well. It was reported last week that he had been recommended for the procedure.

The news doesn’t come as a shock. He has been on the injured list since June due to right elbow inflammation. He had begun a rehab assignment in August but was shut down in early September due to renewed soreness. As mentioned, he was recommended for surgery a few days ago, though he was still considering other options. It seems he couldn’t find a viable non-surgical alternative and decided to go under the knife.

The 30-year-old has generally put up decent numbers for the Mets over the years. In total, he has thrown 409 2/3 innings over five seasons, allowing 4.46 earned runs per nine innings. He has struck out 24.3% of batters faced, given out walks at a 9.3% clip and kept the ball on the ground at a 42% pace.

His volume of major league work has been capped by a few factors. The Mets have often had him just outside the top five of their depth chart, meaning he has been shuttled to Triple-A and back a number of times, depending on the overall health of the staff. He has also had a few injury absences of his own, including shoulder strains in both 2022 and 2024. He has only once surpassed 90 innings in a big league season and has never hit 130.

This year was Megill’s first arbitration season and he is making a salary of $1.975MM. He can be controlled for two more seasons via arbitration. He’ll be in line for a raise for next year, though he’ll be a bit limited by the fact that he only made 14 starts this season. The Mets could tender him a contract, perhaps bumping him into the $3MM range, speculatively speaking. They wouldn’t get anything in return for that investment in 2026, as the odds of him returning late in 2026 would be very low, but they could then keep him around for 2027 at about the same price.

They will have a few weeks to decide if they think Megill’s 2027 worth that kind of multi-year investment. In addition to the money, they will have to think about the roster ramifications. There’s no IL between the World Series and the start of spring training. If they want to keep paying Megill over the next year-plus with the plan of having him be a part of the 2027 club, he would have to take up a roster spot through this winter. He could then be put back on the 60-day IL during the 2026 season, though he would have to retake a roster spot again in the 2026-27 offseason.

Regardless of that decision, he won’t be part of the club’s rotation plans for the next year. The Mets will go into this offseason with their potential 2026 starting group including David Peterson, Clay Holmes, Nolan McLean, Jonah Tong, Brandon Sproat, Kodai Senga, Sean Manaea and Christian Scott.

Photo courtesy of Gary A. Vasquez, Imagn Images

Tylor Megill, Reed Garrett Recommended For Tommy John Surgery

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Two Mets pitchers are facing significant long-term injuries, as The Athletic’s Tim Britton reports that Tommy John surgery has been recommended for both Tylor Megill and Reed Garrett.  Both right-handers are considering their options before committing to the TJ procedure, plus Garrett already has another surgery awaiting in the form of a planned procedure to move a nerve in his right arm.

The 30-year-old Megill last pitched on June 14, as he was sidelined by an elbow sprain that (according to the pitcher) didn’t come with any structural damage at the time.  However, Megill’s rehab assignment was shut down due to some renewed elbow discomfort during a Triple-A start on September 7, and the latest set of tests has apparently delivered the unwelcome news of UCL damage.

Garrett has been battling elbow issues for over a month, as he missed two weeks (spanning the end of August and start of September) due to elbow inflammation.  That minimal IL stint didn’t seem like cause for concern until yesterday, when Garrett was returned to the 15-day IL with a sprain in his throwing elbow.

Britton writes that Garrett could opt for a PRP injection and then see if that is enough to heal his elbow, yet the nerve surgery and the attached four-month recovery period are additional obstacles.  If Garrett got a Tommy John surgery relatively soon, he would very likely be ready to go by Opening Day 2027.  If he goes the PRP route, he wouldn’t be able to get the shot until after he is fully recovered from the nerve procedure, so there’s a risk that Garrett would end up wasting a lot of recovery time if he ended up needing a TJ surgery anyway.  Garrett turns 33 in January, adding to the ticking-clock nature of what an extended absence means for his career as a whole.

At the very least, the 2025 season at a minimum is over for both pitchers.  That already somewhat seemed like the case anyway given Megill’s setback after a lengthy absence and Garrett’s late-season elbow sprain, yet now even the faint hope of a return in the event of a deep Mets playoff run has been squashed.  It leaves the pitching-needy Mets with even more questions to address about their arms depth if New York even makes it into the postseason, but the bigger-picture issue is clearly the unfortunate possibility that Megill and Garrett will both miss the entire 2026 campaign.

Megill has primarily pitched as a starter over his five MLB seasons (all with the Mets), but he has been deployed more as a back-end rotation arm or even a fill-in rather than a truly stable member of the rotation.  Megill has generally done well when given the opportunity, and he took a step forward in 2025 by posting a 3.95 ERA over 14 starts and 68 1/3 innings.  His 10.8% walk rate is on the high side, but Megill’s 29.2% strikeout rate was a career best, and he also had very strong whiff and barrel rates.

2025 is also Garrett’s fifth Major League season, though he also spent the 2020-21 seasons pitching in Japan.  Garrett joined the Mets on a waiver claim from the Orioles in 2023, and then finally carved out a foothold for himself in the majors as a workhorse member of New York’s bullpen.  Since Opening Day 2024, Garrett has a 3.83 ERA in 111 appearances and 112 2/3 innings for the Amazins, with a 30.3% strikeout rate and 11.5% walk rate.  Apart from the control issues, Garrett has been a pretty stable member of a Mets bullpen that has seemed to be in constant flux.

Megill is in his first year of arbitration eligibility, and is playing on a $1.975MM salary in 2025.  Garrett is only arb-eligible for the first time this coming offseason, and as a non-closing relief pitcher, would have been in line for a pretty modest guaranteed salary in 2026.  Between these low salaries and the good numbers the duo have posted in their time in Queens, the Mets will probably still tender both pitchers contracts even in the event that they undergo TJ surgeries, since the team will still have control when both are (presumably) healthy in 2027.

Tylor Megill Headed For Imaging With Renewed Elbow Tightness

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Mets righty Tylor Megill suffered a setback in his rehab from elbow inflammation. Manager Carlos Mendoza tells reporters (including Anthony DiComo of MLB.com) that Megill felt elbow tightness when he tried to throw his breaking stuff on a rehab start with Triple-A Syracuse yesterday. The Mets sent him back to New York for imaging to determine whether there’s any structural damage.

Megill has been out since the middle of June. There’s a decent chance the setback will prevent him from contributing to the Mets’ hopeful playoff push. “We’re running out of time, especially now with him complaining about the same thing that he went down with earlier in the year,” Mendoza admitted. “I don’t want to speculate here, but the fact that he’s getting another MRI and where we’re at, it feels like we’re running out of time.”

The 30-year-old Megill opened the season in New York’s rotation. He started 14 times and managed a solid 3.95 earned run average across 68 1/3 frames. Megill struck out more than 29% of opponents, and while he didn’t often work deep into games, he was typically good for five solid innings in his starts. Megill probably wouldn’t have secured a spot in the Mets’ playoff rotation coming off an elbow injury that cost him most of the second half. He could have been a valuable multi-inning arm out of the bullpen, though.

That no longer seems likely. The Mets haven’t firmly closed the door on a return, but any kind of structural issue would certainly do so. Even if the imaging only reveals inflammation, it’s tough to see him returning before the end of the regular season on September 28. Playing deep into the postseason would give him a little more runway from a recovery perspective but also make it riskier for the Mets to shake up their October pitching staff.

Megill is playing on a $1.975MM salary in his first trip through arbitration. He crossed the four-year service threshold and will earn a slight raise for next season. The Mets control him through 2027.

Mets Designate Zach Pop For Assignment

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The Mets announced a series of roster moves today. Outfielder/designated hitter Jesse Winker has been reinstated from the 60-day injured list. He takes the active roster spot of outfielder Starling Marte, who has been placed on the 10-day injured list due to a right knee bruise, retroactive to July 7th. Right-hander Tylor Megill was transferred to the 60-day IL to open a 40-man spot for Winker. The Mets also selected the contract of right-hander Alex Carrillo, a move which was reported earlier. Righty Zach Pop has been designated for assignment as a corresponding move there. The Mets also announced that they have signed right-hander Junior Fernández to a minor league deal.

Winker, now 31, had a solid bounceback season with the Mets in 2024. After a down year in 2023, he put up a .253/.360/.405 slash and 118 wRC+ with the Mets last year. That prompted the club to re-sign him via a one-year deal with a $7.5MM guarantee. This year, he got into 24 games and hit .239/.321/.418 before an oblique strain sent him to the IL. He missed a little over two months but can now return to the club’s corner outfield and designated hitter mix.

Subbing out of that mix is Marte. It’s not known how serious this current injury is but he also spent almost a month on the IL last year due to a right knee bone bruise. He is hitting .270/.353/.387 for a 116 wRC+ this year. The Mets have Juan Soto, Brandon Nimmo and Tyrone Taylor in the outfield most nights. Marte has mostly been in the DH spot, but now Winker will take up that role. They hit from opposite sides of the plate, with Marte being a righty and Winker a lefty, so that may impact the club’s deployment when factoring in the opposing pitcher.

Megill landed on the 15-day injured list on June 15th due to a right elbow sprain. His 60-day count is retroactive to that initial IL placement, so he will be eligible for reinstatement in mid-August. He recently started throwing again but it seems the Mets don’t expect him to be able to return within the next month.

The club has been hit hard by the injury bug in recent weeks, with Megill just one of the victims. The situation has led to the Mets frequently cycling pitchers through the roster as they attempt to paper over the large number of absences. Pop was one pitcher who was run through the machine, getting added to the roster just three days ago. He pitched an inning and a third for the Mets on Sunday, allowing three earned runs on five hits without striking anyone out.

He now has 162 1/3 innings of major league work under his belt. He has occasionally shown glimpses of being an effective ground ball guy. 55% of the balls in play he’s allowed have been pounded into the ground and his 7.8% walk rate is also decent but he has only struck out 17.8% of batters faced. He has a 4.88 ERA overall, which isn’t terrible, but his best work is a few years old now. He has a 6.68 ERA dating back to the start of the 2023 season, in 68 2/3 innings.

He is now out of options, which has limited his ability to cling to a roster spot. But he’s cheap, as the Blue Jays are on the hook for the majority of his $900K salary since they released him earlier this year. Other clubs can sign him and only pay him the prorated portion of the league minimum for the time spent on the roster. He also got a brief stint with the Mariners before joining the Mets. He has the right to reject outright assignments and will likely end up back on the open market in the coming days.

Fernández, 28, signed a minor league deal with the Royals in the offseason but was released a few days ago. He had logged 38 1/3 Triple-A innings in the Royals’ system with a 4.93 ERA, 30.3% strikeout rate and 50% ground ball rate but a concerning 14.9% walk rate.

His big league career has had a somewhat similar shape. He has 54 big league innings under his belt with the Cardinals and Pirates, with a 5.17 ERA, 18.7% strikeout rate, 13.9% walk rate and 49.4% ground ball rate. As mentioned, the Mets have been hit hard by injuries, so there’s little harm in adding some non-roster depth.

Photo courtesy of Bruce Kluckhohn, Imagn Images

Mets Notes: Butto, Senga, Megill

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The Mets placed right-hander Jose Butto on the 15-day injured list on Friday, with a retroactive placement date of July 1.  Right-hander Chris Devenski was called up from Triple-A to take Butto’s spot on the active roster.  Butto is dealing with an undisclosed illness, and manager Carlos Mendoza told reporters (including the New York Post’s Mike Puma) that the club expects to activate the righty for the first game back after the All-Star break.

Now in his fourth season in New York, Butto has been used as a full-time reliever for the first time in his MLB career and the bottom-line results have been solid.  He has a 2.47 ERA over 43 2/3 innings and 31 appearances, albeit with a troublesome 11.2% walk rate and a 21.8% strikeout rate that is also below the league average.  Butto’s 4.01 SIERA reflects the sizeable gap between his actual performance and expected performance, though he does have a strong 49.6% grounder rate, and very good chase and whiff rates despite his relative lack of strikeouts.

While Butto’s illness doesn’t appear to be too serious, his absence creates yet another hole in the Mets’ injury-riddled pitching staff.  The Amazins now have 13 different pitchers on their IL, ranging from relatively minor situations like Butto to multiple hurlers who have been out for extended periods of time, or won’t pitch again in 2025.

One of the biggest names on the IL might be nearing a return, as Kodai Senga is slated to pitch for Double-A Binghampton in a rehab outing today.  Senga hasn’t pitched since June 12, when a right hamstring strain cut short a start against the Nationals.  Since it was just a Grade 1 strain, however, the Mets were optimistic that Senga wouldn’t miss too much time, and it is possible Senga might need just the one rehab outing before rejoining the big league rotation.

After injuries sidelined Senga for almost all of the 2024 season, he has returned in good form this year, posting a 1.47 ERA over 13 starts and 73 2/3 innings.  A 4.14 SIERA reveals that Senga isn’t nearly as dominant as his ERA suggests, though his Statcast numbers are generally above average apart a 10.6% walk rate is only in the 17th percentile of all pitchers.  Nonetheless, Senga’s relatively quick return is a huge boost to a Mets rotation that has been short-handed by injuries all season, let alone this second wave of health woes that have hit the staff in the last couple of weeks.

Tylor Megill was one of those most recent absences, as the right-hander hit the 15-day IL in mid-June due to an elbow sprain.  Despite the ominous nature of such injuries, Megill said at the time of the IL placement that he was only dealing with inflammation, and MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo wrote yesterday that a recent MRI showed that the inflammation had decreased to the point that Megill can resume throwing.

Since Megill has been shut down for three weeks, he’ll begin with some light work throwing off flat ground today, but the hope is that he won’t take too long to fully ramp up to starting readiness.  Megill has a 3.95 ERA/3.61 SIERA in 68 1/3 innings and 14 starts for New York this season, with an outstanding 29.2% strikeout rate that helps cover for a subpar 10.8% walk rate.

Mets Place Tylor Megill On IL With Elbow Sprain

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4:25pm: Manager Carlos Mendoza tells Anthony DiComo of MLB.com that the best-case scenario for Megill is a return in four to five weeks. The club plans to have a spot starter on Friday and Montas perhaps joining the rotation after that, depending on how his next rehab outing goes.

3:05pm: The Mets announced that right-hander Tylor Megill has been placed on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to June 15th, due to a right elbow sprain. Fellow righty Justin Garza has been recalled in a corresponding move.

Megill told members of the media, including Laura Albanese of Newsday, that he just has inflammation and no ligament damage. That doesn’t fully align with the official announcement, as a sprain involves some degree of stretching or tearing, by definition. Regardless, it seems like Megill doesn’t expect a lengthy absence. He says he’ll be shut down for seven to ten days before being reevaluated.

Assuming that ends up being the case, that would obviously be good news, as he was on the road to having a personal-best season here in 2025. He has largely been a serviceable back-end starter for the Mets, with a 4.56 earned run average coming into the campaign. This year, prior to this IL stint, he has made 14 starts with a 3.95 ERA. His 10.8% walk rate would be higher than any other season in his career, but barely. Meanwhile, his 29.2% strikeout rate is quite strong and is way ahead of his 24.3% career rate.

He qualified for arbitration for the first time in the most recent offseason and is making $1.975MM this year. He will be due a raise this coming winter but a notable absence would obviously cut into his earning power, so he’ll naturally be hoping to bounce back quickly.

For the Mets, this is the latest domino to fall in a quickly-changing rotation picture. Last week, it was reported that the Mets were getting calls on righty Paul Blackburn, on account of a fairly crowded starting mix. But within minutes of that report coming out, Kodai Senga suffered an injury and was later placed on the 15-day IL due a strained hamstring.

In the modern game, any pitching surplus is a temporary thing, which is clearly demonstrated here. The Mets are now down to David Peterson, Clay Holmes, Griffin Canning and Blackburn as their rotation options. Frankie Montas has been on a path to join that group but his rehab assignment has been shaky. He has been on the IL all year due to a lat strain and has a 13.17 ERA over his five rehab outings. In the most recent one, he allowed eight earned runs without getting out of the second inning.

Due to those struggles, there’s been some speculation that the Mets might push Montas into the bullpen, though the Megill injury might make him more needed in the rotation. On the other hand, Sean Manaea is also on a rehab assignment and should be in the mix soon as well. His rehab assignment also hasn’t gone super well so far in terms of results, but he’s earlier in the process, having only made three appearances thus far.

Time will tell how the Mets play it. Peterson, Blackburn and Holmes are the scheduled starters for the next three games. Megill was originally scheduled to get the ball on Friday. Canning could perhaps start that one instead but they would still need to someone for Saturday’s game. Guys like Blade Tidwell, Justin Hagenman and Brandon Waddell are on the 40-man roster and could factor in at some point, at least until the Mets get some guys back from the IL.

It will be a situation worth monitoring for other clubs, especially with the trade deadline just over a month away. As recently as a week ago, the Mets looked to have enough starting options where selling was a possibility but perhaps buying will become a consideration.

Photo courtesy of Gary A. Vasquez, Imagn Images

Mets Keeping Jose Butto In Relief

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The Mets are keeping José Buttó in a multi-inning relief role, skipper Carlos Mendoza told reporters (including Newsday’s Tim Healey). Righty Tylor Megill will stay stretched out as a starter and compete for a rotation spot in camp.

Buttó opened last season in the rotation. He started seven games and managed decent results, working to a 3.08 ERA across 38 innings. Buttó’s command was worrisome, though, as he walked nearly 14% of opposing hitters. New York optioned him to Triple-A in the middle of May. He started eight games and turned in a 3.05 ERA before being recalled at the beginning of July.

Upon his return to the majors, Buttó worked exclusively in relief. He was a quality bullpen piece for the season’s final few months. Buttó allowed only two earned runs per nine with an excellent 29.7% strikeout percentage over 36 frames. His walk rate remained elevated at a 12.3% clip. It’s difficult to stick as a starter with that kind of command, so it’s not especially surprising that the Mets will keep Buttó in a 2-3 inning role.

New York is likely to run a six-man starting staff. Kodai Senga, Sean Manaea, David Peterson, Frankie Montas and bullpen conversion Clay Holmes will be in the Opening Day rotation if healthy. The sixth spot could involve a camp battle between Megill, Paul Blackburn and free agent signee Griffin Canning.

Megill started 15 of his 16 appearances a year ago, pitching to a 4.04 earned run average while fanning 27% of batters faced through 78 frames. Canning started 31 times for the Angels last season, struggling to a 5.19 ERA with a 17.6% strikeout rate. Blackburn, whom the Mets acquired from the A’s at last year’s deadline, had a 4.66 mark while striking out 18.7% of opponents over 14 starts. Blackburn underwent postseason surgery to address a spinal injury, but the Mets are hopeful that he’ll be ready by Opening Day.

Mendoza also provided some details on the team’s infield mix. Free agent pickup Nick Madrigal will get shortstop work this spring, relays Mike Puma of The New York Post. The former fourth overall pick has not played shortstop in his MLB career and only has six innings of minor league work there. He saw some action at shortstop in college, though he was mostly a second baseman in amateur ball as well.

The Mets have less of a need for a true backup shortstop than most teams do. Francisco Lindor rarely takes days off. They’d ideally have someone capable of playing the position available off the bench, though. If Ronny Mauricio opens the season on the injured list, Luisangel Acuña is their most experienced shortstop depth. The Mets would presumably rather have the 22-year-old (23 next month) playing every day at Triple-A Syracuse than spending most days on the major league bench.

New York has three players locked into the starting infield: Pete Alonso at first base, Lindor at shortstop, and Mark Vientos at the hot corner. Second base is arguably the biggest question in a deep lineup. While Acuña and Brett Baty should each get time there in camp, Mendoza indicated that Jeff McNeil has the leg up on the job going into Spring Training.

“There’s competition but Jeff is pretty much right there,” the manager said (link via Tim Britton and Will Sammon of The Athletic). McNeil rebounded from a terrible first half to hit .289/.376/.547 over 40 games in the second half. A broken wrist cut his regular season short. McNeil made it back for the NL Championship Series. He had a rough series, which is understandable for a player returning from a month-long absence from game speed, but the excellent second half and his broader track record should make it an easy call for the Mets to keep him in the lineup to start the year.

Kodai Senga To Start NLDS Game One For Mets

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TODAY: The Mets made Senga’s return official when announcing their NLDS roster this morning.  Senga was activated from the 60-day IL and Megill was also added to the 26-man roster that will face the Phillies.  Right-handers Huascar Brazoban and Max Kranick were removed from the Wild Card Series roster to make room for Senga and Megill, and Blackburn was moved to the 60-day IL in the corresponding 40-man move for Senga.

OCTOBER 4: The Mets are facing off against the Phillies in the National League Division Series, with the first game set for Saturday afternoon. Manager Carlos Mendoza told reporters today that right-hander Kodai Senga will start that first game for the Mets. Mike Puma of The New York Post was among those to relay the news on X.

The Mets have received close to nothing from Senga this year. He suffered a capsule strain in his throwing shoulder in Spring Training, which kept him on the injured list for months. He was reinstated off the injured list and made his season debut on July 26, but was removed from that game after 5 1/3 innings due to a calf strain and went right back on the IL. He tried to return late in the regular season but was slowed by some triceps soreness.

That lack of production from Senga was a blow to the Mets. He made his major league debut in 2023 and tossed 166 1/3 innings with a 2.98 earned run average. His 11.1% walk rate was on the high side but he struck out 29.1% of batters faced and got grounders at a 44.7% clip. Despite that, the Mets managed to squeak into the postseason and then defeat the Brewers in the Wild Card series while Senga remained on the IL.

Yesterday, Will Sammon of Athletic reported that the Mets were considering Senga for their NLDS roster. Now it seems that the righty will not only get a roster spot but will take the ball to get the series started.

The question will be what the Mets can expect from Senga after so much time off. Per Sammon’s report, he recently threw a 25-pitch bullpen session but will probably be limited to a short outing, so perhaps this will be Senga acting more as an opener than a true starter in the classically understood sense. “We’ll see,” Mendoza said today when asked about how long Senga can go, per Anthony DiComo of MLB.com on X. “We’re going to let it play out.”

The Mets have had to get creative with their pitching staff lately. Two of their games against Atlanta in the final week of the regular season were delayed by Hurricane Helene. While 28 of the 30 clubs in the league had the day off on Monday, those two clubs had to play a double-header as each still needed a victory to get into the playoffs. The Mets won the first game in an 8-7 thriller, using Tylor Megill as the starter and then four relievers, including closer Edwin Díaz throwing 40 pitchers as he got the final five outs.

With their playoff spot secured, they used Joey Lucchesi and two relievers to get through the second game of the twin bill, but then they had to start their series in Milwaukee the very next day. Luis Severino started the first game, Sean Manaea the second and Jose Quintana the third. To get through last night’s game, Díaz threw another 39 pitches while again getting five outs and starter David Peterson also tossed an inning of relief.

None of the club’s front three of Severino, Manaea or Quintana would be available on regular rest for Saturday’s first game against Philadelphia. Megill would be an option to take some bulk innings, but he was left off the Wild Card roster since he wasn’t going to be available for those contests. If both Senga and Megill are to be added, the Mets would have to open two spots by leaving off a couple of guys that were present of the Wild Card round. Peterson could perhaps be another option for bulk innings, as he tossed seven innings as recently as September 29.

The full roster decisions don’t have to be publicly announced until Saturday morning. Senga is on the 60-day IL and will need to be added back onto the 40-man roster, but the Mets could easily open a spot by transferring Paul Blackburn or Dedniel Núñez onto the 60-day IL. The Phillies have announced that Zack Wheeler will start game one, followed by Cristopher Sánchez in game two.

Kodai Senga Throws Bullpen Session, Could Return This Season

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Kodai Senga took a significant step in his rehab from a left calf strain. As reflected on the MLB.com injury tracker, the righty threw a 25-pitch bullpen session at fairly high intensity this afternoon.

While that’s the first of multiple throwing sessions, Andy Martino of SNY reports that the Mets are increasingly optimistic that Senga will return this season. Martino writes that the Mets prefer for Senga to come back as a starting pitcher. Those would surely be abbreviated starts given the limited ramp-up time, but the organization evidently prefers that to having the 31-year-old work from the bullpen.

Any kind of contribution from Senga would be a welcome development. He sustained the calf injury just before the trade deadline. Initial indications were that the strain was likely to end his season. The Mets implied as much by almost immediately placing him on the 60-day injured list, officially ruling him out until September 25. That left all of five regular season games in which Senga could participate.

There wasn’t any guarantee at the time that those games would even matter for the Mets, who were part of a jumbled Wild Card field. New York has remained in the mix and could be fighting for their playoff lives into the season’s final weekend. The Mets secured their seventh straight win with an 8-3 victory over the Red Sox tonight. They’re a half-game back of the Braves for the NL’s final Wild Card spot. The Mets are the only team within four games of Atlanta.

The two teams are squaring up for a potential race to the finish line. The Mets’ opponent when Senga is first eligible to return: the Braves. That’d be the second game of a three-game set between the division rivals. New York then closes the regular season with a three-game series in Milwaukee.

New York has hung in the playoff race despite virtually nothing from Senga. Their presumptive staff ace has made one start. Senga suffered a shoulder strain early in Spring Training, delaying his season debut until July 26. He had worked 5 1/3 innings of one-run ball with nine strikeouts (coincidentally, against Atlanta) before suffering the calf injury as he tried to get out of the way on an infield fly ball.

Senga was an All-Star and finished seventh in NL Cy Young balloting last year. He worked to a 2.98 earned run average in 166 1/3 innings during his first big league campaign. Senga finished second behind runaway winner Corbin Carroll in Rookie of the Year balloting.

The Mets are relying on a rotation of Sean Manaea, Luis Severino, David Peterson, Jose Quintana and Tylor Megill. The Mets will welcome deadline pickup Paul Blackburn — whom they may not have acquired if not for Senga’s calf injury — back from the 15-day IL next week (relayed on X by Anthony DiComo of MLB.com). Martino writes that the Mets are debating whether to move Megill to relief once Blackburn returns. Megill has a 4.95 ERA in 12 appearances, including 11 starts, despite striking out 26% of opponents. The righty has a bit of bullpen experience, having made six relief appearances back in 2022.

Kodai Senga Likely To Miss Rest Of Regular Season Due To “High Grade” Calf Strain

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TODAY: Senga has been moved to the 60-day injured list to open up a 40-man roster spot for Jesse Winker, who was officially acquired from the Nationals.  Sept. 25 is now the earliest that Senga is eligible to return to action, but by all accounts his 2024 season seems to be over.

SATURDAY, 12:46PM: Senga has a “high grade” calf strain and isn’t likely to pitch again during the regular season, manager Carlos Mendoza told ESPN’s Jorge Castillo (X link) and other reporters.  There is a rough recovery timeline of 8-10 weeks, so it is possible Senga might be available should the Mets make a postseason run.

11:24AM: Kodai Senga’s first start of the 2024 season was cut short by injury, and the Mets announced today that the right-hander has been placed on the 15-day injured list due to a left calf strain.  Righty Eric Orze was also optioned to Triple-A Syracuse, and the two roster spots will be filled by Tylor Megill (called up from Triple-A) and new arrival Ryne Stanek (acquired yesterday in a trade with the Mariners).

After suffering a capsule strain in his shoulder during Spring Training, Senga’s recovery was delayed by some mechanical adjustments and then a triceps injury, pushing his season debut back to last night’s game against the Braves.  Despite the long layoff, Senga was looking sharp, and finished the start with two earned runs on two hits and a walk over 5 1/3 innings of work.  Unfortunately, that final out of Senga’s start saw the righty fall to the ground while leaving the mound during an Austin Riley pop-up, and Senga very gingerly walked off the field after consulting with team trainers.

Senga was scheduled to undergo an MRI today, and the results of that scan have now led to this immediate placement on the 15-day IL.  More details on the severity of the strain will likely be revealed later today, though from the admittedly non-scientific method of looking at the obvious pain on Senga’s face in the aftermath of the injury, one would suspect he’ll be missing longer than just 15 days.  Depending on the nature of the strain, it isn’t out of the question that Senga’s season could be in jeopardy.

Even if Senga is able to pitch again in 2024, the calf strain is another brutal setback in what has been a frustrating sophomore season for the righty in Major League Baseball.  The longtime NPB star came to the majors with much fanfare when he signed a five-year, $75MM free agent deal with New York during the 2022-23 offseason, and immediately delivered on the hype by posting a 2.98 ERA over 166 1/3 innings in 2023.  Amidst an otherwise hugely disappointing season for the Mets, Senga’s quick impact at least provided some hope that the franchise might be able to turn things around in relatively short order.

Ironically, the Mets have indeed gotten on track this year, except with virtually no contributions from Senga apart from Friday’s start.  The rotation has been something of a weak link in general due to injuries, though the group of Sean Manaea, Luis Severino, and Jose Quintana have been solid if unspectacular.  Senga’s return was supposed to add an ace alongside that trio, but New York has now been bit again by the injury bug, between Senga’s calf strain and Christian Scott’s UCL strain.

Megill or Jose Butto could get another look in the rotation with Senga out, as Adrian Houser is probably no longer an option after being designated for assignment earlier this week.  With the Mets increasingly looking like legitimate contenders, the trade deadline presents an obvious route for the Amazins to bring a new starter into the fold, though naturally such deals are difficult to find.  Any new pitchers will add to New York’s already immense luxury tax bill, and president of baseball operations David Stearns might not be too keen on trading significant talent from the farm system.

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