A left calf strain will sideline New York Mets right-hander Kodai Senga for the rest of the season, manager Carlos Mendoza told reporters Saturday.
Senga made his season debut Friday against the visiting Atlanta Braves but lasted only 5 1/3 innings before being pulled with the injury. He was set to undergo an MRI exam, and Mendoza said Senga suffered a high grade strain.
Senga, 31, in his second year with the Mets after pitching in his native Japan since 2012, opened this season on the 60-day injured list with a shoulder strain he sustained in his pitching shoulder in February.
After getting Austin Riley to hit a popup near the mound leading off the sixth inning, Senga appeared to sustain the injury as he moved away from the area to give the converging infielders room to make the catch. He then fell to the ground but eventually left the field under his own power.
Senga picked up the win on Friday after surrendering two runs on two hits and a walk. He struck out nine.
Last season, Senga went 12-7 with a 2.98 ERA in 29 games, earning a spot on the National League All-Star team. He struck out 202 batters in 166 1/3 innings, and he finished second in NL Rookie of the Year voting and seventh in NL Cy Young Award balloting.
MLB.com reports that Senga has an opt-out option in his contract should he reach 400 innings pitched before the end of 2025, which now appears to be very much in jeopardy. Senga sits at 171 and 2/3. If he doesn’t reach 400 innings, he’ll remain under contract through 2027. Senga earns an average of $15 million per season after signing a 5-year, $75 million contract with the Mets in 2023.
In another roster move, the Mets activated right-hander reliever Ryne Stanek, whom they acquired Friday in a trade with the Seattle Mariners.
Stanek, who turned 33 on Friday, is 6-3 with a 4.38 ERA in 39 innings this season, posting seven saves over 46 appearances.
A first-round pick (No. 29 overall) of the Tampa Bay Rays in 2013, Stanek is 16-17 with a 3.54 ERA and 11 saves in 384 games (56 starts) over eight major league seasons. Before joining the Mariners this season, he played for the Rays (2017-19), Miami Marlins (2019-20) and Houston Astros (2021-23).
In corresponding moves, the Mets recalled pitcher Tylor Megill from Triple-A Syracuse and optioned right-handed pitcher Eric Orze to Syracuse.
Megill, who turns 29 on Sunday, is 2-4 with a 5.08 ERA in eight games with the Mets this season. He’s given up 22 earned runs and struck out 49 in 39 innings.
Orze, a 26-year-old rookie, is 0-1 in two games for the Mets, giving up four earned runs in 1 2/3 innings.