ATLANTA -- Ninth inning. Mets leading by three. Heart of Atlanta’s order due to bat.
It was a classic save situation. Yet when the visitors' bullpen door swung open late Monday night at Truist Park, Kodai Senga -- not $51 million closer Devin Williams -- was the one who came walking through it.
Perhaps this was the seed of something that could help the 2027 Mets. Hours after Williams landed on the 15-day injured list with a right shoulder strain, Senga filled in with his first career save in an 8-5 win over the Braves, proving once again that he can handle his new leverage relief role.
“Didn’t soft-serve him,” interim manager Andy Green said. “Those were some of the best hitters in the league.”
The inning began with Matt Olson and Michael Harris II, who fell behind on fastballs before Senga buried them with nearly identical forkballs that dived out of the zone. After a walk to Ozzie Albies, Senga induced a game-ending flyout from Mauricio Dubón to record his first career save.
“It’s a great environment for myself,” he said through interpreter Hiro Fujiwara. “First of all, my body feels great. I’m able to go out and perform even in short innings, regardless of the situation.”
Williams, who was briefly unavailable last week due to what the Mets termed right arm fatigue, returned Friday in Pittsburgh but allowed two runs in a non-save situation. The team placed him on the IL three days later, calling up right-hander Jonathan Pintaro from Triple-A Syracuse to take his roster spot. Green said the Mets don’t believe “this is long-term serious for him.”
“I know he wants to compete for us before this year is out,” Green said. “And I know he wants to get on the mound and finish strong.”
Williams holds a 4.66 ERA in 42 appearances. He’s in the first season of a three-year, $51 million contract.
Given that the Mets are highly unlikely to reinsert themselves into the National League playoff race, his absence became notable mostly for the intrigue of who might replace him. Around the time that Williams began experiencing shoulder fatigue, the Mets traded their next four highest-leverage relievers: Luke Weaver, Brooks Raley, Huascar Brazobán and A.J. Minter.
Right-hander Daniel Duarte recorded a save in lieu of Williams last week, but the Mets have other hard-throwing options including Dedniel Núñez and Jefry Yan.
They also have Senga, a former All-Star starter whom the Mets began using as a late-game leverage reliever in the days after the Trade Deadline. Senga’s transition to that role has been an open experiment for the Mets, who want to see if he can be a legitimate bullpen option for them in 2027 -- the last year of his contract. Despite his inexperience in that role, Senga is still one of the most battle-tested arms at the back of New York’s bullpen. That’s precisely why Green turned to him on Monday.
In three outings since converting full-time to relief work, Senga has allowed just two baserunners while dialing his fastball up to 99 mph. In short spurts, Senga has also committed to relying more fully on his two best pitches, his four-seamer and forkball. On Monday, 15 of Senga’s 18 pitches were either fastballs or forkballs, including all three of his pitches that resulted in outs.
“It’s definitely two sensational pitches,” Green said. “He doesn’t have a need to expand the arsenal. Third batter there, he mixed in a few more pitches, but those are the two pitches that are his bread and butter right now, and obviously he was able to plow through two of the best hitters in the league.”
Since coming to the United States from Japan, Senga, 33, has been one of the game’s most inconsistent pitchers, with flashes of dominance interspersed amongst periods of significant struggle. After making the All-Star team as a rookie starter in 2023, Senga has battled shoulder, lat and hamstring injuries, as well as mechanical issues exacerbated by his physical ailments. When healthy this season, he produced a 9.66 ERA in eight games as a starter.
Though Senga holds plenty of intrigue as a one-inning reliever, Green stopped short of committing to him longer-term in any type of formal role. Even if Senga continues to succeed as interim closer, questions remain regarding his ability to pitch on back-to-back nights or three to four times per week -- things he’s never done as a professional. For now then, he is merely one of several options who could earn saves until Williams returns.
But Green made it clear that “guys thrive when they know what their expectations are,” indicating he would like to have a bullpen with defined roles. Senga, who has said multiple times that he would prefer to be a starting pitcher, is at least on board with the idea of seizing the most important of those bullpen jobs. If any question remained as to his intrigue in the role, Senga answered it when he good-naturedly ribbed Carson Benge for throwing the ball from the final out into the stands, rather than saving his first career save ball as a souvenir.
“What remains the same is that I will continue to do my best in whatever situation I’m put in,” Senga said. “I don’t want to close any doors on anything. As soon as I think, ‘OK, I’m not a starter anymore. I’m going to be a bullpen guy. I’m going to be a reliever,’ then I think the mental switch makes it very difficult. ... So I want to keep that in the back of my mind while still going out and performing.”