Wednesday’s revelation that starting pitcher Kodai Senga was suffering from “arm fatigue” might have been the ideal moment for New York Mets supporters to feel a sense of alarm.
David Stearns said Kodai Senga has moderate strain in the back of his right shoulder.
He will be shut down until the symptoms subside. He will not be ready for Opening Day. He will start on the IL but it’s not known how long he will be out.
— Will Sammon (@WillSammon) February 22, 2024
David Stearns said that the Senga news doesn’t change anything regarding the likelihood of adding someone before opening day.
— Will Sammon (@WillSammon) February 22, 2024
It was reported that the 2023 All-Star refrained from working out on Wednesday due to fatigue, and the possibility of undergoing an MRI was being considered.
Senga took a break last summer, coinciding with the trades of former Cy Young award winners Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer to the American League.
The 31-year-old concluded the season with a record of 12-7, boasting a 2.98 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, and 202 strikeouts across 166 1/3 innings pitched in 29 starts. Senga was the runner-up for NL Rookie of the Year and secured seventh place in the Cy Young voting for the senior circuit.
New York possesses depth in its starting rotation, but the available options predominantly consist of players in their 30s or beyond their prime, along with pitchers who have grappled with injuries or inconsistencies in recent years.
What the Mets' 2024 Opening Day rotation currently looks like:
José Quintana
Luis Severino
Sean Manaea
Adrian Houser
Tylor Megill— Mike Mayer (@mikemayer22) February 22, 2024
David Stearns indicated Senga's replacement to start the season will likely come from the group of Tylor Megill, Jose Butto and Joey Lucchesi.
— Mike Puma (@NYPost_Mets) February 22, 2024
35-year-old Jose Quintana earned his only All-Star nod back in 2016 with the Chicago White Sox and has since moved between several teams in the league. From 2017 onwards, the left-handed pitcher has played for the Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Angels, San Francisco Giants, Pittsburgh Pirates, St. Louis Cardinals, and now the Mets.
Quintana’s debut last season was delayed until July due to injury, and he ended up with a record of 3-6, holding a 3.57 ERA and 1.30 WHIP across 75 2/3 innings pitched over 13 starts.
Luis Severino, who turned 30 earlier this week, experienced a downturn in his career after making consecutive All-Star appearances in 2017 and 2018. His trajectory was derailed when he was limited to just three starts in 2019 before undergoing Tommy John surgery in February 2020. This kept him sidelined until late in the 2021 season. Severino faced multiple setbacks due to other injuries during his rehabilitation and made only four appearances after being activated off the IL in September 2021.
A mainstay of the New York Yankees, Severino made 19 starts in 2022 before his tumultuous 2023 season. He concluded the last season with a 4-8 record, registering career-worst figures in ERA (6.65) and WHIP (1.64), while managing just a 79 to 34 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
In early December, Severino signed a one-year, $13M deal with the Mets.
For Mets fans in Queens, there’s a bit of consolation as Mets president David Stearns expressed confidence that Senga’s injury might not require surgery to address.
Here’s some of what David Stearns said this morning about Kodai Senga:
“We don’t expect Opening Day, but I do expect him to make a bunch of starts for us this year. This is not a surgical-type problem.”
Stearns hinted the Mets wouldn’t turn to free agency but didn’t rule it out
— Danny Abriano (@DannyAbriano) February 22, 2024
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