The New York Mets have used a six-man starting rotation before and appear to be headed in that direction yet again. Former All-Star Kodai Senga is the favorite to land the final spot.
The fascinating tale that is right-hander Kodai Senga’s young Major League Baseball career has culminated in an All-Star appearance and being sent down to Triple-A Syracuse two years later due to poor performance.
The New York Mets signed Senga to a five-year, $75 million deal in December 2022 with the vision that he would anchor the starting rotation and dominate opposing hitters for years to come.
It started out that way, as in Senga’s rookie season, he fooled everyone with his devastating “ghost fork” pitch (his nasty version of a splitter) and went 12-7 with a 2.98 ERA and 1.22 WHIP across 166.1 innings. He made nearly every start (29) and struck out 202 batters during a season in which he was selected as an All-Star.
While Senga led MLB in wild pitches with 14 and walked 77 batters, he put together an incredible season. He finished as the runner-up to Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Corbin Carroll for the National League Rookie of the Year and seventh in NL Cy Young voting.
The Mets organization and its fans had to be thrilled that this guy would be leading them into battle every fifth day. That is, until he made just one start in 2024.
In spring training, Senga was diagnosed with a posterior capsule strain in his right shoulder and was placed on the 60-day injured list. He wouldn’t return until the end of July, when he would pitch a brilliant debut game against the Atlanta Braves.
Senga tossed 5.1 innings and allowed two runs on two hits and one walk while punching out nine hitters, earning a win in the process. Unfortunately, that would be his only start that season as he suffered a significant left calf strain during the game, effectively ending his regular season.
Senga returned for the playoffs, but it would’ve been better if he didn’t. He appeared in three games (two starts) and pitched just five innings, allowing seven runs on six hits and seven walks while adding four strikeouts.
2025 was a roller-coaster ride for Senga. He was excellent through his first 13 starts, posting a 7-3 record with a 1.47 ERA and 70 strikeouts over 73.2 innings before he suffered an ill-timed right hamstring strain against the Washington Nationals while covering first base.
It was a tough blow for Senga and the Mets, who were the best team in MLB around the time of injury. He returned a month later and threw four shutout innings to lower his ERA to 1.39, but Senga’s luck would run out quickly. He allowed 27 earned runs over his final eight starts and was sent down to Triple-A Syracuse for a multitude of reasons.
Senga is back with a vengeance in 2026. He’s slated to be the sixth starter for the Mets and MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo thinks Senga has made the biggest impression during camp.
“But Senga looks the part of an ace again this spring, most recently dialing his fastball up to 99 mph in a dominant Grapefruit League outing against the Marlins,” DiComo wrote Sunday. “If Senga is truly back, the Mets’ rotation has a chance to be formidable.”
The Mets are gearing up for a much better season after disappointingly missing the playoffs last season and Senga will be a big part of that if he’s right.