Mets ace Kodai Senga, whohas been out since June 12 due to a hamstring injury, appears ready to take another step forward in his rehab.
Manager Carlos Mendoza said prior to Thursday's game that Senga is expected to take the mound Saturday or Sunday for Double-A Binghamton.
"He was going through PFPs, some running drills, and all that," Mendoza said. "The goal is for him to pitch in a minor league game, I think it's in Double-A, either Saturday or Sunday. He's going to make an appearance there and we'll go from there."
Mendoza mentioned on Tuesday that Senga faced hitters on Sunday during "an up-and-down" live bullpen session and was scheduled to throw another bullpen session on Wednesday.
When asked how many rehab starts Senga will need before he could return to the bigs, Mendoza was optimistic on the right-hander's timeline.
"One at a time," Mendoza said. "Hopefully it's the one here this weekend. He might be in play for us before the break, too."
Senga's return would be huge for New York, as they are in need of healthy starting pitchers. Paul Blackburn (shoulder impingement) hit the IL Thursday, joining the recently added Tylor Megill (right elbow sprain) and Griffin Canning (season-ending Achilles injury). Mendoza did note that Sean Manaea is expected to have another rehab start after tossing 60 pitches over three-plus innings on Wednesday and could also be back before the All-Star break.
The Mets wrap up their three-game series with the Milwaukee Brewers on Thursday, followed by a weekend Subway Series at Citi Field, a three-game set in Baltimore, and three more games in Kansas City before the All-Star break, starting on Monday, July 14.
Read the full article here