The New York Mets could soon have their ace back. Right-hander Kodai Senga faced live hitters in a “nasty” batting practice Monday for the first time since his shoulder injury.
Kodai Senga has been sidelined since early in Spring Training with a strained posterior capsule in his right shoulder. He threw 21 pitches in live batting practice to a group of Mets prospects from High-A Brooklyn on Monday. Senga threw all of his pitches, and his fastball reached the mid-90s, in a batting practice one prospect called “nasty.”
Afterward, Senga said through his interpreter that he expects to return “right around” the day he’s first eligible, May 27th. He added “Everything’s feeling solid. I think my rehab days have gone really well so far.” President of Baseball Operations David Stearns later clarified saying he could return “that last week of May or early June.”
The Mets have taken things slow with the 31-year-old in hopes that he can avoid season-ending shoulder surgery. After his shoulder strain diagnosis, Senga went a full month without throwing a baseball. He then spent five weeks playing catch off flat ground and throwing bullpen sessions, before graduating to live batting practice.
Kodai Senga “Nasty” In First Batting Practice Since Injury
Mets manager Carlos Mendoza was impressed by Senga’s mound session.
“The way the ball was coming out, there was no hesitation,” Mendoza said. “He was just letting it loose, using all of his pitches. Since he went down, the thing I’ve been saying is, ‘How is he going to bounce back?’ I think the biggest thing is tomorrow and the following day. But so far, he looked pretty sharp today.”
Senga will face hitters again in another live session on Friday, with three days of rest between each session. If all goes well in his next two sessions, he will begin a minor league rehab assignment around May 11th. The Mets will give their ace five days of rest between each rehab start. So, his return date will vary based on how many rehab starts the Mets feel the right-hander needs.
Kodai Senga went 12-7 with a 2.98 ERA and 202 strikeouts in 29 starts for the Mets last year. He finished seventh in Cy Young voting and runner-up for NL Rookie of the Year in his first season in the majors after arriving from Japan. This is Senga’s second year of a five-year, $75-million contract he signed with the Mets after 11 seasons in Japan.
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