Kodai Senga won’t return to the Mets during the regular season following his abbreviated rehab start Saturday for Triple-A Syracuse.
The right-hander threw only 15 pitches in the outing because of triceps tightness, according to manager Carlos Mendoza, ending any possibility he would rejoin the Mets in a limited capacity this week.
The Mets were hopeful Senga might pitch in Milwaukee, either as an opener or reliever, during the final series of the regular season.
Senga will continue throwing, but it’s unclear what kind of timeline he is facing for a return and whether the Mets would consider him an option for October (provided the team reaches the postseason) at some point.
“Hopefully we’re making those decisions, right?” Mendoza said before the Mets faced the Phillies on Sunday night. “But I think it’s safe to say that for the regular season he’s not going to be a player for us … we’re not going to put him in a major league game until he clears all the steps.”
The most likely plan for Senga had he returned this week would have been utilizing him to pitch one or two innings as a starter before deploying another starting pitcher behind him.
Senga has spent the last two months rehabbing from a left calf strain that he sustained during his season debut on July 26.
Senga was diagnosed with a shoulder strain early in spring training that placed him on the injured list to begin the season.
During his buildup, the right-hander also had triceps tightness that delayed his schedule — he didn’t begin pitching in minor league rehab games until late June.
“It’s been a hard year for him and you feel for him,” Mendoza said. “Every time he’s pushing and wants to take the baseball, he is dealing with something. Hopefully this is nothing serious, but it’s going to set him back a little as far as game competition.
Senga last year finished second in NL Rookie of the Year voting after pitching to a 2.98 ERA with 202 strikeouts in 166 ¹/₃ innings.
The Mets viewed Senga as their ace when the season began.
He is not yet halfway through the five-year contract worth $75 million he signed before the 2023 season.