Mets Believe Ace Kodai Senga Is Healthy

The Mets are not considering taking their ace off the NLCS roster.

Oct 13, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; New York Mets pitcher Kodai Senga (34) throws a pitch against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the first inning in game one of the NLCS for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Kodai Senga may have been ineffective this postseason - but he's not injured.

The New York Mets' ace endured a brutal performance against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 1 of the NLCS, lasting just 1.1 innings and allowing three runs in an eventual 9-0 defeat. Senga's command and velocity were both noticeably lacking; in particular, he was only able to throw 10 of his 30 pitches for strikes.

Nonetheless, Senga insisted in a postgame interview that he was 100% healthy, and the Mets seem to agree.

"The Mets believe that Senga is a healthy player, and they're not currently discussing replacing him on the roster," SNY's Andy Martino reported on Monday. "They're certainly discussing what to do about that Game 5 start, but despite what we may have seen and despite the fact that Adam Ottavino is here [in Los Angeles] and could easily replace Senga on that roster, right now there's no physical issues and no expectation for Senga to be replaced."

"The Mets believe that Senga's a healthy player. They're not currently discussing replacing him on the roster."@martinonyc reports from Los Angeles on Kodai Senga's status and the chances of him starting Game 5 of the NLCS: https://t.co/VvCMR606pr pic.twitter.com/qI8kegXmJ4

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) October 15, 2024

While Senga has dealt with a rash of injuries this season that limited him to just one regular season start, perhaps the Mets are hesitant to remove him from the roster as doing so would end his season; if the 31-year-old is removed from the NLCS roster due to injury, he would be completely ineligible to pitch in the World Series if the team makes it there.

At the same time, Senga's scheduled start in Game 5 is far from a sure thing due to his lackluster performance in Game 1 and the fact that he isn't built up to pitch deep into games. By having him pitch only the first two innings of a game (like he has in each of his postseason starts), New York is effectively using him as an opener without much utility beyond that, which makes his roster spot rather questionable.

Thanks to the Mets' 6-3 victory over the Dodgers in Game 2 on Monday, there will be a Game 5 to be played on Friday, October 18 at Citi Field. Whether Senga will start in that game is still to be determined, but for now, New York needs to focus on the next game and take control of the series.