NEW YORK -- Kodai Senga’s return to the Mets was interrupted on Tuesday, when he was scratched from his fourth Minor League rehab assignment at Double-A Binghamton with ulnar nerve irritation in his right arm. The right-hander was in the midst of his progression back from lumbar spine inflammation, which landed him on the 15-day injured list on April 28 (retroactive to April 27). However, Senga was not worried about the latest pause in his rehab, calling the irritation “minor.”
“In the process of practicing working on mechanics, going through games, [there was a] small reaction in the nerve,” Senga said via translator Hiro Fujiwara. “I wouldn’t go as far as saying inflammation, it’s relatively minor. Played catch already today, felt good. And so, continue to progress.”
Senga returned to New York and played catch off the mound from about 70-80 feet before the Mets’ series opener against the Cardinals. He described the irritation as the effect of increased mechanical work and practice, and wouldn’t go as far as even calling the sensation in his upper arm an injury.
“Obviously the performance hasn’t been great on the field, then practicing a little bit more,” Senga said. “With that comes a little more fatigue. And I got some treatment, and the treatment effects were a little bit greater than I anticipated, and became a little more ‘loose.’ So that caused nerve sensations. But again, it’s not like it’s inflamed.”
In the grand scheme of injuries for a beleaguered Mets roster, Senga’s latest physical blip was a sigh of relief. Manager Carlos Mendoza said that the righty is set to remain on his rehab assignment, with plans to play catch the following day and the club monitoring the situation “day by day.”
“There could be a chance that he’s pitching [on his rehab assignment] in the next few days,” Mendoza said. “Play catch today, probably tomorrow, he’ll do the same -- then we’ll have a decision there.”
Senga had made three rehab starts before being scratched -- one at Single-A St. Lucie and two at Triple-A Syracuse -- with a slew of mixed results. Over the three starts, the righty held a 5.25 ERA, allowing at least two runs in each outing. In every appearance, Senga either walked or hit a batter, and was unable to make it past the fourth inning in the first two starts.
However, Senga can feel himself getting closer to where he wants to be, mechanics-wise. But, there’s an understanding that both he and the Mets would like to see more encouraging results at the Minor League level before he’s given the all-clear to rejoin the club’s rotation in the Majors.
“I’m healthy and I don’t think I’m too far,” Senga said. “Was it a superb outing? No. Do I feel like I'm 100% ready to go? Maybe not quite yet. … They would love to see some results, and so would I. I think we’re on the same page there.
“ … It’s frustrating saying that. And for myself, even though I’m healthy, I’m not able to perform as high as I would like to. But I know that once I get over this, there’s bright days ahead. I know I’m close, and once I get back out there, I hope I can dominate.”