PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — Mets starter Kodai Senga was nowhere to be seen on Wednesday.
“After his side session yesterday, he came in and experienced some arm fatigue,” Mendoza told reporters. “So, he stayed inside and we’re taking a look at him.”
Pressed about what this means for the starter, Mendoza added, “We’ll see.”
“We gotta get with the trainers because that was late,” Mendoza continued. “I have to get more information. He got on the mound yesterday and today, he came in and overall arm fatigue.”
If healthy, Senga figures to be the team’s No. 1 starter. In 29 starts last season, he posed a 12-7 record with a 2.98 ERA, earning an All-Star nod and NL Cy Young Award votes.
What could this mean for the Mets’ rotation? Fortunately, the team has rotation depth, but it doesn’t exactly have another No. 1-type starter to take his place.
New additions Luis Severino and Sean Manaea each bolstered the rotation this offseason, but they have their faults. Severino has ace upside but durability and recent performance (6.65 ERA in 89 1/3 innings last year) are a cause for concern. Manaea recorded a 4.44 ERA in 117 2/3 innings (37 games, 10 starts) last season.
José Quintana is seen more as a back-end starter at this point of his career.
Tylor Megill, whom Mendoza confirmed will take the ball in the Mets’ first spring training game on Saturday against the Cardinals, served as something of a sixth starter last season when he made 25 starts, posting a 9-8 record with a 4.70 ERA.
There’s also Joey Lucchesi, who started nine games for the team last season, posting a 2.98 ERA. José Butto is also a depth rotation option. He was impressive in his final five appearances (all starts) in 2023, sporting a 3.29 ERA with 28 strikeouts over 27 1/3 innings.
They could also turn to one of the young arms that have impressed the team so far in camp — Christian Scott, Dominic Hamel and Mike Vasil.
On Tuesday, Mendoza said he could “definitely” conceive of these…
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