The starter will land on the IL, but the severity of the injury is not yet known.
In the middle of the Mets’ sweep-security 4-3 victory over the Nationals, the club lost Kodai Senga to a hamstring strain. Manager Carlos Mendoza said the right-hander will land on the injured list, but the severity of the injury and length of his absence is not yet known.
The scary moment occurred in the sixth, when Pete Alonso fielded a grounder hit by CJ Abrams and threw the ball high to first. Senga snagged the errant throw and recorded the out, but landed hard on first base and immediately fell to the ground. He walked off under his own power, but it was clear he was in a bit of pain heading off the field. He will undergo an MRI tomorrow, which should reveal an update on how long the club expects their ace to be sidelined.
Before exiting, Senga was in the middle of throwing a one-hitter over 5 2⁄3 innings. He struck out five and walked one as he lowered his league-best ERA to 1.47. After starting 2024 on the IL with a right shoulder capsule strain, he returned to throw 5 2⁄3 innings before a calf injury cost him the remainder of the 2024 campaign. He has been putting together a terrific season so far that was reminiscent of his breakout 2023 season.
The Mets are set to get back two of their injured starters in the coming weeks. Sean Manaea and Frankie Montas are both in the middle of rehab assignments and, if all goes well, both could be back before the All Star break. The Mets rotation, with Senga’s brilliance, have posted the best ERA among all MLB teams, pitching to a 2.85 ERA (stats prior to today’s game). The Mets have weathered quite a few injuries already this year and own the best record in the league, and this represents some more adversity that the club will have to weather.