New York Mets manager Carlos Mendoza remains uncertain if Kodai Senga will get the ball for the next turn in his rotation, which is supposed to come on Sunday in Cincinnati against the Reds.
“Everything’s on the table,” Mendoza said prior to his team’s series finale in Detroit against the Tigers. “Whether he makes his next start, there’s a lot going on right now. We just have to wait and see after we get through today.”
The weekend series in Cincy is as vital as they come. New York entered Wednesday with a five-game advantage over the Reds for the third and final National League Wild Card spot. A series win could help put them out of sight and cement their standing in the postseason.
Mendoza did disclose that David Peterson will get the series opener on Friday before Jonah Tong gets the nod for his second career MLB start on Saturday. Sunday, however, is to be determined.
Senga has struggled mightily since coming off the injured list from a hamstring issue on July 11. In his last eight starts, he has a 5.95 ERA. Over his last two starts, he has failed to complete five innings, yielding eight runs on 13 hits with five walks in 8.2 combined innings.
The 32-year-old right-hander, who has been derailed by injuries for the past two years, cited a lack of the “sensation of delivering power into the ball” as to why he is struggling this much.
The Mets could potentially demote Senga to the bullpen or Triple-A, which would allow them to promote No. 5 overall prospect Brandon Sproat to ensure a six-man rotation remains intact. But Senga’s contract reads that he must agree to the move.
“I don’t know about that,” Mendoza admitted when asked about potentially sending Senga down to the minors. “We all know he’s going to have to give us consent if that’s the case. But we’ll wait til we get through today and take it from there.”
