This year was supposed to be different for Kodai Senga.
He said he felt healthy during spring training, was throwing hard and expected to get back to the form he showed as a rookie with the Mets in 2023.
But just like pretty much everything else in Queens this season, it hasn’t gone as planned.
The right-hander is back on the IL with lumbar spine inflammation and won’t throw for a week to 10 days after he received an epidural Tuesday.
When the right-hander might return is anyone’s guess.
Senga said Wednesday he’d been dealing with at least some form of discomfort in the area as far back as spring training, but it wasn’t until his most recent outing against the Rockies on Sunday that it became clear he couldn’t pitch with it.
“I was able to manage it, [but] it got to a point Sunday where it was definitely affecting my pitching and I had to bring it to their attention,’’ Senga said through an interpreter.
Sunday’s performance was Senga’s third straight ugly outing, as he’s allowed 16 earned runs over 8 ¹/₃ innings in the three starts.
He noted that at times “it became difficult to stand on one leg” because of the injury.
This is just the latest in a growing list of health woes Senga has suffered after his standout 2023 rookie season.
In 2024, Senga pitched just once in the regular season thanks to a shoulder strain and then a strained left calf before he returned for the playoffs.
Last season, he strained his hamstring when he jumped to catch a high throw from Pete Alonso while covering first base. He pitched poorly upon his return and wound up agreeing to go to Triple-A Syracuse.
Senga said Wednesday no such conversations took place about going back to the minors again in order to get right on the mound.
And he said there was no timeline yet for a potential return.
“The outlook is difficult,’’ Senga said. “We have to see how the body responds. I’m solely focused on getting back out there as soon as possible.”
As the Mets have seen in the past, though, it’s becoming hard to count on Senga’s availability. The Mets have reinserted David Peterson in the rotation after sending him to the bullpen and are set to start Christian Scott on Friday against the Angels in Anaheim.
“As a baseball player, my job is to be on the field and play for my team,’’ Senga said. “Not to be able to do that is frustrating.”
