Through the first two months of the 2025 MLB season, it appeared as if New York Mets starting pitcher Kodai Senga was going to be the primary ace on this roster. However, Senga suffered a right hamstring strain on June 12 against the Washington Nationals and then was placed on the injured list.
He returned on July 11 for the Mets against the Kansas City Royals and ever since the injury, Senga has not been the same pitcher. Senga has not pitched six innings in a game since June 6. Since posting a 1.39 ERA in his first 14 starts, Senga has a 6.56 ERA in 35 2/3 innings pitched which is not good at all.
New York Mets Starting Pitcher Kodai Senga Could Be Demoted to the Minor Leagues
On Wednesday against the Detroit Tigers, Clay Holmes will be the starting pitcher for the Mets. New York will have an off day on Thursday. David Peterson is projected to pitch on Friday against the Cincinnati Reds and Jonah Tong is projected to pitch on Saturday. There is a strong chance that New York will not pitch Senga on the mound this Sunday and that rookie Nolan McLean could very well start in his place.
Not only could the Mets skip over Senga's next start, but there is a world where he could be demoted to the minor leagues. Will Sammon of the Athletic said,
"With Senga, the Mets are considering a few possibilities, including potentially asking him to accept an optional minor-league assignment, people familiar with their thinking said. Senga, however, may not be assigned to the minors without his consent, according to his contract.
Senga said Tuesday night that he is willing to do whatever it takes for him to get better and help the team.
As of Tuesday, the Mets were still discussing all options.
A potential demotion because of poor performance would present a significant fall for Senga, who finished runner-up for the NL Rookie of the Year and was an All-Star in 2023."
If they were to send Senga down to the minors, there is a good chance that rookie Brandon Sproat would finally get into the rotation for the Mets or they will call up Tylor McGill instead. In 22 games pitched in 2025, Senga has a 7-6 record with a 3.02 ERA. In 113.1 innings pitched, he has given up 94 hits and 44 runs. Senga has also walked 55 batters and struck out 109 batters. His WHIP is 1.31.
The biggest issue for Senga is that he had a 5.25 ERA in the month of July and had a 6.18 ERA in the month of August. He is not reliable at all in the rotation right now. If the playoffs started today for the Mets, Senga would probably not be in the starting rotation at all in a playoff series.
MORE MLB NEWS:
- Cardinals not expected to be competitive in 2026, according to insider
- Insider provides exciting update on Padres trade deadline acquisition
- One Jack Flaherty statistic that should concern Tigers fans
- Guardians jokingly thank Taylor Swift amid 2026 schedule release, engagement announcement
- Guardians' 2021 decision coming back to haunt them amid losing skid
- Cardinals' Willson Contreras apologized to coach he hit with his bat