As it turns out, Kodai Senga’s arm fatigue was caused by a “moderate” right posterior capsule strain, and he is shut down for the time being with no timetable, other than he’ll start the year on the IL.
Cue the “Mets gonna Mets” or Stewie Griffin Mets fan or KFC’s “Cuncel Da Saeson” memes, especially since the Mets turned “arm fatigue” into a potentially major shoulder issue…but y’all, Jerry Recco wants to remind you that it is February, and SPRING games haven’t even started.
“It was February bleeping 21st – relax!” Jerry said. “Do we need to have a press conference because Kodai Senga has a sore shoulder? So what? Just come out and say he’s a little sore and will be out there in a few days or whatever, and put it off as long as you can.”
“The one counter argument I'll say about that is that for years, the Mets tried to do that with injuries and it never worked,” Gio said. “They’d say ‘this guy is just out for a little bit’ and then the injury would be extended and extended and extended, and it felt like the organization was hiding something from the fan base. So I think that because of the way the Mets used to handle injuries, David Stearns is probably aware of that, and just wants to be completely transparent with everything that's going on, so there’s no other questions about it.”
From one extreme to another, can’t there be a happy medium?
“To me, it felt like doom and gloom that their ‘ace’ – and I'm not even sure if he's an ace, but I mean, right now he is the No. 1 – it’s just the feeling of like ‘oh, he's injured already!’” Jerry said.
That’s not how it works in Mets land, though, according to middle-aged Mets fan Gio.
“If you’re just a guy like me in their early 40s, the Mets have given that person, who has seen a lot of losing, no reason to watch this year,” Gio said. “Now, if you’re a younger fan, and you’re into it as a die-hard who has a lot of time, that’s a different story. But even Eddie for example – he was a die-hard Mets fan, but they’ve given no reason for a fan in their 40s or older, who have seen stuff happen, a reason to care this year. ZERO!”
“See, I disagree. I’m looking forward to the season, because I think there’s intrigue with guys like Vientos and Baty, and Alonso on a contract year maybe having a big season,” Jerry replied. “I know Lindor is still a great player, and this is a team that still has much of the lineup that won 100 games two years ago. Are they a World Series team? Not right now, but if they play well, this owner will make moves mid-season. I don’t think this is a 62-win team; you don’t have the shiny new oy, but I do believe a step back is not a complete fold, and I don’t think this season will be a disaster.”
Gio says 75 wins, and the over-under is basically .500, so we’ll just have to wonder where the line is?