"As long as things keep going well" - Mets ace Kodai Senga hopeful of returning to action in May

New York Mets ace Kodai Senga remains on track for a May return. On Monday afternoon, Senga took another big step on his road to recovery after facing hitters for the first time since going down with a strained shoulder in spring training.

Senga threw 21 pitches during a live batting practice session against High-A hitters. He is expected to face two more live BP sessions, one of them being this Friday, before heading for a rehab assignment.

The Mets transferred Senga to the 60-day IL, meaning that the earliest he can return to their rotation is May 27. If all goes to plan, Senga remains hopeful of being ready and fully healed by then.

After Monday’s session, Senga said via an interpreter:

"As long as things keep going well, I think I'll be back right around [May 27]”

Senga also said that he felt great after the session, with his fastball reaching the mid-90s.

“I was able to check my velo with hitters in there versus just bullpen sessions and I was able to get up to the mid-90s, so I’m pretty happy with that.”

Ideally, Kodai Senga should be able to begin a rehab assignment in early May if everything works out, which is excellent news for the Mets.

Mets President of Baseball Ops David Stearns mentioned "last week of May, early-June" as a possible timeline for Senga's return.

The Mets need Kodai Senga back soon

Kodai Senga had an excellent debut MLB season in 2023. He finished with a 2.98 ERA and 1.22 WHIP, struck out 202 batters, and finished second for NL Rookie of the Year.

The Mets rotation could really use some help right now, and Senga is going to provide that, and more, once he is ready to return.

The current Mets rotation consists of Jose Quintana, Luis Severino, Sean Manaea, Adrian House and Jose Butto. Tylor Megill and David Peterson have already begun their rehab assignments.

If all goes well, the Mets can expect to have a full strength rotation by the end of May.