Mets' Carlos Mendoza won't guarantee Kodai Senga a playoff roster spot
The Mets' Kodai Senga is removed from a game against the Miami Marlins during the fifth inning by manager Carlos Mendoza on Aug. 31 at Citi Field. Credit: Jim McIsaac
Mets manager Carlos Mendoza had nothing but good things to say about Kodai Senga’s first minor-league outing last week, but he still is nowhere close to guaranteeing the former ace a spot on a potential playoff roster.
Senga had his second outing with Triple-A Syracuse on Thursday evening. His position with the big-league club remains very much in flux after he pitched to a 5.90 ERA in nine starts with the Mets upon his return from the injured list in July.
“I wouldn’t say definitely,” Mendoza said Thursday afternoon when asked if a strong outing by Senga later that day eventually would earn him a spot in the playoffs. “I think we’ll have the conversations and we’ll take the best 13 pitchers that we feel are going to give us the best chance to win baseball games in October. But in the meantime . . . we’ll continue to treat it that way. But [for] Senga, I think the biggest thing is for him to go out there today and have a good performance and then we have decisions there.”
Senga started well Thursday, but things fell apart in the fourth inning. He finished with 81 pitches in 3 2⁄3 innings, allowing six hits and four runs, walking two and striking out four. He allowed three of the hits, two of the walks and all of the runs in that fourth inning.
In his first game with Syracuse, Senga allowed one run and three hits with no walks and eight strikeouts in six innings.
“I like the fact that there were no walks last time that he pitched in Triple-A, getting ahead, using all his pitches, he got swing-and-miss with the split,” Mendoza said. “But I think it starts with him throwing strike one and staying on the attack.”
Garrett may be done
Reed Garrett, who went on the injured list in August with right elbow inflammation, landed on the 15-day IL again Thursday with a right elbow sprain that Mendoza called “concerning” and likely season-ending. Garrett has had a hard time recovering since the original injury, Mendoza said, and experienced discomfort while warming up Wednesday. He received an MRI.
Even in a best-case scenario, envisioning him pitching in October is “hard,” Mendoza said. “You’re still looking at a shutdown period and then we’re getting close to running out of time.”
Tommy John surgery hasn’t been ruled out.
Soto joins elite company
With his 100th RBI, Juan Soto became the third player in major-league history to have at least 40 homers, 30 stolen bases, 100 RBIs and 100 walks, joining Jeff Bagwell and Barry Bonds.
Extra bases
Sean Manaea was put on the paternity list, meaning the Mets might have to shift their plan of having Manaea and Clay Holmes piggyback off each other Sunday. It’s dependent on whether Manaea can maintain his throwing regimen . . . Huascar Brazoban and Chris Devenski were recalled from Triple-A Syracuse. A day after making his major-league debut, Dom Hamel was designated for assignment.
Laura Albanese is a reporter, feature writer and columnist covering local professional sports teams; she began at Newsday in 2007 as an intern.
