The Mets’ uneventful spring training finally hit some roadblocks this week.
The latest troubling development saw Buck Showalter’s club pull Kodai Senga from his scheduled start against the Washington Nationals on Saturday night with a soreness at the base of his right index finger, the team announced.
The Japanese right-hander, who signed a five-year, $75 million contract to make the leap to the majors this winter, will undergo an imaging test on his finger.
Right-hander John Curtiss started in place of Senga.
One of the main adjustments Japanese and Senga pitchers have to make when they get to Major League Baseball is slightly larger and less sticky baseballs. There is no indication so far that this has contributed to Senga’s discomfort.
Senga, 30, made his Grapefruit League debut last Sunday against the Cardinals and allowed one earned run with one hit, one strikeout and two walks.
“Nothing, in particular, was that good,” Senga said after that outing through a translator. “But it’s something to work on for next time.”
It is now unclear when the ‘next time’ will be.
( How Billy Eppler and the Mets finally got Kodai Senga )
Senga comes to the Mets after 11 seasons with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks where he went 87-44 with a 2.59 ERA and 1,252 strikeouts (10.3 strikeouts per nine innings) in 11 seasons. He helped the Hawks win six Japan Series titles, including four straight championships from 2017 to 2020, and a gold medal at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
On Monday, the Mets announced that left-hander Jose Quintana had a minor stress fracture in his fifth rib and would be sent back to New York for further imaging. The veteran pitcher, who was another offseason acquisition, complained of lateral strain after pitching just one inning in his second Grapefruit League start on Sunday.
David Peterson, who suffered a concussed foot on March 4 and was considered day-to-day, launched a live batting practice session Thursday.
