“Obviously disappointed” - Mets skipper Carlos Mendoza opens up on conversation with Kodai Senga prior to Triple-A assignment

The New York Mets optioned Kodai Senga to the Triple-A affiliate, the Syracuse Mets, on Friday afternoon. The decision came after bad results derailed his stellar first half of the season.

In his first 13 starts, Kodai Senga pitched to a 7-3 record with a 1.47 ERA. But a hamstring injury put him on the Injured list for a month. After returning on July 13, he completed 4.0 more shutout innings which lowered his ERA to 1.39 for the season.

But post the All-Star break, in his eight starts, Senga lost command and pitched to a 0-3 record with a 6.56 ERA. The Mets believed that placing him in a more "controlled environment" would help him get his game back.

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza explained their decision ahead of the series opener against the Cincinnati Reds.

"First of all, so much respect for the player, but also a lot of respect for the person, Kodai," Mendoza said. "Not an easy decision, and obviously, it was something that he needed to give us consent. When it was presented to him, he was very open from the beginning. Obviously, we presented the plan and our ideas, and we wanted to get his feedback.

"Gave him time to talk to his people, to think through a lot of the different scenarios. He came back, and he was all on board. Obviously disappointed. He wants to be here and wants to help us, but he understands where he's at physically, and where we are as a team, and where he's at performance-wise. We thought it was best for him to go down there, and that's how it went down."

Senga is in the third year of his five-year $75 million contract he signed when he transferred to the MLB from Japan in December 2022. A clause in the contract stated that he could refuse to be optioned to the minor leagues. Thus, the Mets needed his consent and spoke to Senga and his agent Joel Wolfe.

Mets President makes feelings known about Kodai Senga's AAA optioning

The Mets' president of baseball operations David Stearns reiterated that Senga's decision to accept the decision came as he understood what was best for the team.

"I think he wants to do what's right for the team. He believes that he can be a part of a playoff run here. He very much wants to be a part of a playoff run here," Stearns said.

The plan for Senga has been laid out, where he will throw two bullpen sessions at Syracuse before getting a start next weekend. After two starts, the Mets will make their assessment going forward. They will switch to a six-man rotation to cover for Senga's absence.