QUEENS, N.Y. — New York Mets ace Kodai Senga threw on back-to-back days — the second leg coming on Monday — for the first time as he recovers from a strained shoulder suffered during spring training, Carlos Mendoza said.
The 31-year-old right-hander began throwing last week on alternating days from flat ground before doing so on consecutive days Sunday and Monday. He has still yet to throw off a mound.
“He’s over that every-other-day throwing progression,” Mendoza said. “We’ll see how he responds to it.”
The timetable for his return to the mound still appears firmly set for May.
Senga was placed on the injured list in late February and had been shut down from throwing for approximately one month, providing a sizable blow to the Mets well before their 2024 season began.
After a decade starring in Japan, Senga made a remarkable jump to Major League Baseball last season, posting a 2.98 ERA and 202 strikeouts to become the club’s undisputed ace after it traded away Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander. Senga finished in the top 10 of the NL Cy Young Award voting and second in the NL Rookie of the Year voting behind Corbin Carroll of the Arizona Diamondbacks.
While he inches closer toward a return, New York lost his replacement in the rotation, Tylor Megill, to the 15-day injured list after he suffered a low-grade shoulder strain during Sunday’s 4-1 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers.
“It’s always concerning, right? We’re down two [starters],” Mendoza said. “We’ve been talking about our depth and here we are. We continue to get tested.”
