Rehabbing Ace's Return Date Looks Clearer as Mets Confirm Next Step

New York Mets ace Kodai Senga is progressing on his rehab assignment, making his return date look a lot clearer.

Sep 20, 2023; Miami, Florida, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Kodai Senga (34) pitches against the Miami Marlins in the first inning at loanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports / Jim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports

His long anticipated return date is starting to come to fruition.

New York Mets manager Carlos Mendoza delivered a positive update to reporters on Sunday, confirming that Japanese ace starting pitcher Kodai Senga will make his second rehab start on Tuesday, July 9.

"Yeah, he's good to go on Tuesday," Mendoza said prior to the Mets' afternoon rubber-game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park.

In what will be his first rehab start with Triple-A Syracuse, the expectation is that Senga will throw around 50-60 pitches as he progresses towards his regular season debut with the Mets.

The Mets want Senga to be stretched out to around 75-80 pitches before rejoining the big-league rotation, which means he will likely have at least one more rehab outing after Tuesday.

Senga began his rehab assignment on Wednesday, July 3 with High-A Brooklyn and dominated. In 2.2 hitless innings of work, the righty struck out six batters on just 35 pitches and consistently touched 97 mph with his fastball. This is a promising sign for the Mets, who have been without their ace all season.

Last week marked Senga's first live-game action in 2024. He has been sidelined since the early portion of Spring Training after straining his shoulder. While the hope was for Senga to return at some point in the first-half of the season, a triceps injury got in his way during his initial ramp up, forcing him to shut things down for a bit in May.

As a result, the Mets won't see Senga back in the majors until after the All-Star break. But the break starts on July 15 and will be over on July 19 with the latter being a mere 12 days from now. This is not far off, and the addition of Senga will be a major boost for an up-and-down Mets rotation later this month.