Kodai Senga’s prospective return date has been pushed back, the Mets announcing on Wednesday that they have transferred the ace to the 60-day injured list as he continues recovering from a strained shoulder.
The move means that the 31-year-old right-hander will not be eligible to return to the club no earlier than May 27, which provides an added delay for an initial timetable that suggested he would get back earlier that month.
Senga initially suffered the injury during the early portions of spring training and was shut down for approximately one month. He began throwing in the week leading up to the start of the regular season and has maintained a flat-ground throwing program since then.
However, he has yet to throw off a mound and will still need to clear multiple hurdles in his rehab — for example, bullpen sessions and rehab starts.
The decision to move him to the 60-day IL from the 15-day IL means that Senga now does not count against the Mets’ 40-man roster limit. Left-handed reliever Tyler Jay’s contract was selected and called up from Triple-A in a corresponding move.
Senga was coming off a stellar rookie season after making the jump from Japan, strikin gout 202 batters while posting a 2.98 ERA that had him in the running for the NL Cy Young Award and Rookie of the Year.
Despite his absence, Mets starting pitching has held up admirably. Entering Wednesday night’s game against the Atlanta Braves, they ranked ninth in the majors with a 3.33 ERA.
