Kodai Senga is nearing his long-awaited return.
The rehabbing right-hander made his third minor-league start on Sunday, and pitched well.
Over 4.2 innings, he threw 66 pitches – 40 for strikes – allowed two hits, walked two and struck out three for Triple-A Syracuse.
The plan, according to manager Carlos Mendoza, was for Senga to throw around 65 pitches and then see how he responds in the days following the outing before the Mets decided how to proceed with Senga.
Senga used all of his pitches and sat in the mid-90’s with his fastball on Sunday.
The Mets have yet to say if Senga will return to the big-league club or make another start at the minor league level.
The Japanese righty has yet to pitch for the Mets this year due to shoulder and triceps injuries.
He shined as a rookie last year, going 12-7 with a 2.98 ERA and finished seventh in the Cy Young Award voting.
Getting him back would be a major boon for the surging Mets, who plan to go to a six-man rotation when Senga returns.