ST. PETERSBURG — Kodai Senga could be one step closer to making his long-awaited season debut, with the potential next step being a big one.
The injured Mets ace threw 32 pitches in live batting practice Saturday, facing hitters for the third time. He “felt great” and reported no shoulder pain or discomfort. The next step might be a rehab assignment with a minor league affiliate.
However, the Mets will wait a few days to determine whether or not he’s ready for a rehab assignment.
“Now we’ll see how he responds the next few days so we can make a decision whether he throws on another live BP or we put him through a rehab assignment,” manager Carlos Mendoza said Sunday at Tropicana Field. “But everything is moving in the right direction.”
Senga has been out with a strained posterior capsule in his right shoulder since early in spring training. He received a PRP injection in February and resumed rehab. The Mets moved him to the 60-day injured list last month so the first day he’s eligible for activation is May 27. The club expects him to be ready to pitch around that time or soon after.
Losing an ace for this amount of time is a blow to any team, but the Mets could especially use the rotation help right now. The club moved struggling right-hander Adrian Houser to the bullpen and called up top pitching prospect Christian Scott to make a start Saturday against the Tampa Bay Rays. Scott pitched exceptionally well in his rookie debut and will get another turn through the rotation, but the Mets are still struggling to get length from their starters.
When Senga returns the Mets are likely to go to a six-man rotation to be able to give Senga an extra day of rest before each start. This was effective for him last season, when he pitched well enough to earn NL Rookie of the Year and Cy Young Award votes.
‘NO ONE CARES’
Pete Alonso is mired in a 2-for-36 slump over the Mets’ last three series (10 games). This comes after a hot start to the season with seven home runs over his first 24 games (his eight total are tied for third in the league).
Alonso is working diligently with hitting coaches Jeremy Barnes and Eric Chavez, but the results still haven’t been there. He isn’t barreling the ball like typically does and he hasn’t been making as much hard contact in recent weeks either.
“It’s frustrating not being able to come through in situations,” Alonso said after the Mets were swept by the Rays on Sunday. “I need to be better.”
The problem, according to the first baseman, is that he isn’t getting the line drives he’s been striving for. He’s hitting the ball on the ground or popping it up, seemingly unable to make the kind of contact he needs to be making.
The Mets are unconcerned, knowing that a prolific hitter like Alonso is only one swing away from getting back to his line-drive ways. But Alonso, as a team leader, feels that he needs to be doing more at the plate to help the team.
“All the work and stuff like that preparing for the game, I mean, no one really sees that and no one really cares about that,” Alonso said. “People care about performance, so it’s just frustrating not to be able to come through.”
CATCHING ON
Some minor news, though positive news when it comes to the catching situation: Francisco Alvarez will have the stitches from his left thumb surgery removed Monday. The team has him traveling while injured and he’s still participating in all pitching meetings to stay involved.
Alvarez is expected to miss another six weeks, but the 22-year-old is hoping to return earlier. The Mets, however, are not making any promises when it comes to an expedited rehab.
