QUEENS, NY—The New York Mets will have to wait and see about veteran southpaw Sean Manaea. He is expected to make his final rehab start from a strained oblique on Tuesday with Double-A Binghamton.
Manager Carlos Mendoza disclosed that he will throw between 45 and 50 pitches in his first outing since being shut down for a few days last week due to loose bodies in his left elbow.
Normally, a rehabbing pitcher would need to reach the 70-to-75-pitch plateau before being given the green light to return to the majors. Manaea threw 60 in his last rehab start, and even with the decrease in workload on Tuesday, it could still be his last minor-league outing before making his return to the big leagues.
“Let’s get through [Tuesday] first,” Mendoza said. “We just have to wait… We’ll see how he responds afterward.”
Perhaps under different circumstances, it would be a no-brainer for the Mets to allow the 33-year-old to have one more start after Tuesday before bringing him back, but the starting rotation is running on fumes after being wrecked by injuries.
Griffin Canning was lost for the season with a ruptured Achilles, Tylor Megill has imaging “coming up” on his sprained right elbow, and Kodai Senga is working his way back from a Grade 1 hamstring strain.
“We’ll continue to take it one day at a time, one outing at a time, and we’ll see how he bounces back,” Mendoza said. “The fact that he’s in a real game, that’s a good sign.”
Mendoza did provide a potentially promising update regarding the ace, Senga, who faced hitters on Sunday in an “up-and-down live” batting practice session. He is scheduled to throw another bullpen on Wednesday and also participate in fielding practice.
If all goes well, it is possible that he could go out on a rehab assignment.
“He’s already faced hitters on Sunday here, so that’s another good step in the right direction there,” Mendoza said.
Senga was enjoying a return to brilliance in 2025 after injuries limited him to just 5.1 regular-season innings last year. He was 7-3 with a 1.47 ERA before injuring his hamstring while covering first base and reeling in a high throw from Pete Alonso.
