Kodai Senga will be eligible to come off the IL on Sept. 25 and the Mets still have decisions to make regarding the right-hander, who has been out since suffering a strained calf on July 26 in his lone start of the season in the majors.
Senga threw a bullpen session Tuesday at Citi Field and went through fielding drills as the team holds out hope he might be able to provide something in a potential playoff series.
In the meantime, the rotation continues to excel, with Tylor Megill the latest example.
Kodai Senga, who is recovering from a strained calf, threw a bullpen session on Sept. 17, 2024. Corey Sipkin for New York Post
Megill gave up just an unearned run in six innings in a 10-1 win and has a 1.69 ERA in four starts since returning from Triple-A Syracuse, making the loss of Senga and the sidelined Paul Blackburn easier to take.
It was also the rotation’s sixth straight start of at least six innings.
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“They’ve been huge,” Carlos Mendoza said of the rotation before the game. “It’s part of the reason we’re here: starting pitching. It’s been hard for us to score runs and we’ve been winning some close games. It’s a good feeling when you know what you’re going to get out of the starters every night.”
They’re still hoping to get Senga back before the playoffs.
“As long as he feels good and continues to progress, hopefully that’s the plan,’’ the manager said. “Hopefully we have those conversations pretty soon.”
Tylor Megill held the Nationals to one run over six innings to pick up his fourth win of the season in the Mets’ blowout win. Corey Sipkin for New York Post
Francisco Lindor was out with back soreness again Tuesday, and it’s unknown when he might return.
Mendoza said the shortstop was “doing better,” but didn’t provide specifics.
When Lindor went down, Mendoza said he had to be careful about not overworking the 34-year-old Jose Iglesias, who started at second base and had three hits Tuesday to extend his hitting streak to 11 games.
“He’s managing well,” Mendoza said. “He has extra time in the training room and is cutting down a little work pregame. We’ll continue to monitor it.”
Mendoza has talked to Mark Vientos about not getting frustrated during his ill-timed slump.
He is hitless in his last dozen at-bats and in a 3-for-38 rut, despite a sacrifice fly Tuesday.
“We’ve had those conversations informally,’’ Mendoza said. “It’s about keeping him going. He’s playing every day at the big-league level and in the middle of a [playoff] race. Every game, every pitch, that’s part of the development.”
J.D. Martinez also remained cold, in an 0-for-24 slump.
Mendoza said he would try to get key players days off, even with the importance of every game the rest of the way.
On Tuesday, that meant the slumping Brandon Nimmo was out of the lineup. Mendoza said Nimmo will start Wednesday against another lefty, as well as Philadelphia’s lefties that will be at Citi Field later in the week.
“I have to keep everyone fresh and productive,” Mendoza said.
The Mets haven’t gotten much out of Starling Marte, who’s missed time with a right knee bone bruise, but he entered Tuesday with RBIs in three consecutive games and Mendoza said he believed the right fielder could be key for them down the stretch.
Marte did not get an RBI on Tuesday, but he went 2-for-4 with a walk and a run scored
“He’s a really good player and he’s done it for a really long time in this league,’’ Mendoza said. “The tools are there. You watch him run and impact the baseball.”
The key will be keeping Marte in one piece.
“He was on the IL for a couple months and might not be feeling 100 percent,’’ Mendoza said. “We have to protect him and he understands that… He can be super important. When he’s healthy, we see it. He can help in a lot of different ways.”