Kodai Senga threw one scoreless inning while walking one and striking out two on 15 pitches with Triple-A Syracuse.
The righty, who is recovering from a left calf strain, did not throw a second inning perhaps because the Syracuse offense scored eight runs in a lengthy bottom of the first.
It was Senga’s first and possibly only rehab start.
He could make a major league return, likely as an opener, for the final series of the season in Milwaukee.
J.D. Martinez, one of the best lefty-killers of the past decade, sat for a second time in four games against an opposing southpaw.
Martinez is 0-for-29 in his past eight games, his OPS plunging to .726, and was replaced at designated hitter by Starling Marte.
Manager Carlos Mendoza called the decision a “combination of a lot of things,” and an afternoon game that followed a night game played a role.
But the biggest factor involved Martinez, a hired slugger, not slugging.
“He’s going through a tough stretch, and it’s hard,” Mendoza said of the 37-year-old. “But we also got some other players that are performing and playing well.”
Martinez also watched from the dugout Wednesday, when the Mets teed off against Washington lefty DJ Herz.
Martinez owns a career .946 OPS against southpaws, feasting on them regularly since his breakout season in 2014 with the Tigers.
But rarely has Martinez struggled like this, a rare ineffective bat in a lineup that has mostly come alive this month.
Marte, who batted second, entered play with an .880 OPS against lefties this season before going 0-for-3 with two walks.
Despite the absence, Martinez has mostly continued to play despite his slide, and Mendoza suggested that will continue.
“He’s a really good hitter, he’s a professional hitter,” Mendoza said. “It’s not the first time he’s been through a slump like this. He will continue to grind. He will continue to work on his mechanics. He’ll step up — he’s too good of a hitter.”
If the Mets do not adjust their rotation, it would be Jose Quintana, Luis Severino and David Peterson, in that order, pitching in Atlanta.
The Mets could bring back Sean Manaea on four days of rest and bump Peterson to the ensuing series in Milwaukee.
“We’re having those discussions now,” Mendoza said before adding Peterson is “in play” to get a start against the Braves.
It is “safe to say” Paul Blackburn is out for the rest of the regular season, Mendoza said.
The righty is throwing and building up following a diagnosis of a spinal fluid leak in his back last week.
But the series of bullpen sessions and live sessions that would be needed before a return have ended at least his regular season.
“It’s hard to put a timeline [on a return],” Mendoza said of Blackburn, who made three good starts and two poor starts with the Mets that added up to a 5.18 ERA.
Christian Scott is set for Monday elbow surgery, Tommy John with an internal brace.