Kodai Senga is headed to the injured list with a right hamstring strain, the severity of which will be determined by an MRI Friday in New York.
Senga was injured covering first base in the sixth inning of the Mets’ 4-3 win over the Nationals, appearing to tweak it as he jumped for Pete Alonso’s high throw and landing on the bag awkwardly – but as he told manager Carlos Mendoza, he actually felt it on the stride before the jump.
“Senga sent in the translator and told Pete he felt it before the jump, and I told Pete as soon as the inning was over that it’s baseball, and it happens,” Mendoza said of the incident. “Obviously he’s frustrated, but he’ll be back and will be an important part of the team when he gets back.”
“I still feel awful, because for me, I was trying to make a baseball play for my pitcher, and tried to make the best throw I can. It sucks to be involved in that,” Alonso said. “You hate to see anyone go down, and it sucks being a part of that. Things happen, but I wish it wouldn’t have turned out like that. I was trying to get rid of the ball as quickly and accurately as I could, but it was too high. He made an unbelievable play, I just wish it didn’t happen.”
Alonso’s teammates came over to support him while Senga was down, but even with Senga saying it happened before the jump, the Polar Bear is still feeling down about it.
“I’m appreciative of their support, but it still doesn’t change the result. We got the out, but at what cost?” Alonso said. “It doesn’t feel good. I know it’s the innocence of just trying to make a play, but wish it didn’t happen that way.”
Mendoza did not put any timetable or severity on the injury, only sauing ‘we’ll attack it once we get the (MRI) results.”
“As soon as he goes down and grabs the hammy, you feel for him, especially with what we saw last year,” Mendoza said, “but we have to wait until tomorrow and see what it is. You hate to see anybody go down, especially a guy like Senga after what he went through last year, but injuries happen; we feel for him, but no one will feel sorry for us, and guys who are healthy have a chance to step up. Every team deals with it, we’ll get him back, but we have to keep going.”
Paul Blackburn, who threw 77 pitches in a start on June 2 in Los Angeles and 71 in four innings of relief Sunday in Colorado, could step into the rotation at least for the next turn, although Mendoza said ‘it’s too soon’ to think about it, and that Blackburn is ‘available out of the bullpen the next series and we’ll go from there.’
One person who won’t be in consideration immediately, at least until he’s ready, is Frankie Montas, who is scheduled to make his fifth rehab start Friday with Triple-A Syracuse. Mendoza said Montas, who has allowed 12 runs in 12 innings over four rehab starts on his way back from a lat strain, could use his entire 30-day rehab window, and the Mets will not rush him back after tomorrow’s start just because of the Senga injury.
“The decision with Montas is what’s best for Montas – we’re not in a rush, even with what happened today,” Mendoza said. “The goal for him is to be ready to go 100 percent; we’ll see what happens when he pitches tomorrow and go from there.”
Sean Manaea (oblique) will make his third rehab start somewhere on Sunday, so he could be back within a few weeks as well, and the Mets also have Blade Tidwell, Brandon Waddell, and Justin Hagenman – who have made 24 starts between them at Triple-A – on the 40-man roster.
The Mets could potentially delay any decision until next Saturday, June 21, in Philly, as an off-day Monday means they could skip Senga’s next turn through the rotation and keep the other four starters on regular rest through next week.