PORT ST. LUCIE — Kodai Senga will rest for at least three weeks before he’s allowed to resume throwing.
The Mets ace returned to camp on Sunday, two days after receiving a PRP injection in his right shoulder in New York.
Last week Senga was diagnosed with a moderate strain of the posterior capsule in the shoulder.
Mets ace Kodai Senga won’t throw for three weeks after getting a PRP injection for his right shoulder injury. Corey Sipkin for the NY Post“You have got to let the shot do the work and once we start ramping up his throwing program we’ll have a better idea how he’s bouncing back,” manager Carlos Mendoza said before the Mets’ 3-1 victory over the Astros’ split-squad in an exhibition game. “We have got to let it heal.”
Even after Senga resumes throwing, he will face a normal spring training buildup time that would push his return date into the regular season.
In the meantime, the team will look toward Tylor Megill, Jose Butto and Joey Lucchesi, among others, as possibilities to fill in for Senga in the rotation.
Senga, 31, told team officials he felt fatigue in the shoulder following his first bullpen session of spring training.
Once that fatigue persisted following a throwing session last week, the decision was reached to send Senga for an MRI exam that provided the basis for his diagnosis.
Senga last season avoided the injured list as a rookie and pitched to a 2.98 ERA in 29 starts for the team. He became the Mets’ No. 1 starter after Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander were traded last summer.
Mets ace Kodai Senga won’t be ready to start the 2024 MLB season. Corey Sipkin for the NY Post“The only thing I really have to say is I am using my time to my benefit,” Senga said through his interpreter. “I am working on things I need to work on and making sure I can get out there as quickly as possible, and once I am out there, I can dominate and help the team win.”
Mark Vientos, starting at third base, booted a fourth-inning grounder for an error before rebounding to start a 5-4-3 double play to end the frame.
“I think it was more positioning [on the error],” Mendoza said. “He started creeping in and before you know it he’s playing too close to the hitter and not giving himself a chance to read the ball off the bat. I think it’s more of that than mechanics. We are going to talk about it and watch some film. … I was very pleased that he got another ground ball and we were able to complete the play.”
The Mets claimed left-handed pitcher Kolten Ingram off waivers from the Tigers and transferred David Peterson, who is rehabbing from hip surgery, to the 60-day injured list.
Astros bench coach Omar Lopez, a Venezuelan, served as the team’s split-squad manager. Mendoza, who is MLB’s second full-time manager from Venezuela (Ozzie Guillen was the other) sat in the Mets dugout. It marked the first time in major league history, according to El Extrabase, that managers of Venezuelan descent managed against each other in a spring training game.
