The New York Mets shared concerning news regarding injured right-hander Kodai Senga ahead of a matchup against the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday, June 9.
Senga was scratched from his rehab start at Double-A due to ulnar nerve irritation in his throwing arm, as relayed by Chelsea Janes of SNY. The veteran is working his way back from lumbar spine inflammation. Senga hit the injured list in late April.
The outing with Binghamton would’ve been Senga’s fourth start during his rehab assignment. He got up to five innings in his most recent appearance, which came at Triple-A Syracuse on Wednesday, June 3. The latest setback will push his return timeline deeper into the summer.
New York Mets News Update: Kodai Senga Scratched From Rehab Start With Nerve Issue
The 2026 campaign got off to a strong start for Senga. He delivered a quality start in his first appearance of the season, but took a tough-luck loss to the St. Louis Cardinals. The righty nearly posted another quality start in his second outing, falling one out shy against the San Francisco Giants. From there, Senga fell on hard times. He was crushed for seven earned runs over 2.1 innings against the Athletics. The Chicago Cubs got to him for six earned runs. In his final appearance before heading to the injured list, Senga couldn’t get out of the third inning against the Colorado Rockies.
Senga’s most recent injury is a brutal development for a Mets’ rotation already missing Clay Holmes. Christian Scott has pitched well since rejoining the big-league club, but David Peterson was bumped to the bullpen after struggling as a starter. Sean Manaea has moved from the bullpen into the rotation, though his ERA remains above 5.00. Nolan McLean pitched well in April before faceplanting in May. The promising righty stumbled to a 6.10 ERA last month. He rebounded in his first start of July. Freddy Peralta has been the most stable option in the rotation.
With three rehab starts under his belt, including a five-inning outing, Senga seemed to be nearing a return to the big-league rotation. The game with Binghamton could’ve been his final minor league appearance before coming back to the Mets. Instead, he’ll be sidelined for the foreseeable future with this new injury.
Who Will Step Into the Rotation for the Mets?
With Senga no longer an option, the Mets could turn to Triple-A depth to help fill out the rotation. Jonah Tong recently received a chance in the majors. He provided mixed results as a bulk reliever. The top prospect allowed just an unearned run over his first two appearances, though he had five walks to just three strikeouts. Regression hit in Tong’s most recent outing. He was knocked around for five runs (four earned) against the Seattle Mariners. New York sent him back down after that game.
Tobias Myers is also looming in the minor leagues. He carried a 2.33 ERA into May, with most of his contributions coming as a multi-inning reliever. Myers struggled mightily last month and was booted to the minors. He could be an option to get stretched out and contribute as a traditional starter with the Mets.
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