Senga out of Mets rotation with shoulder injury

Only the Mets, right?

With baseball activities only just getting underway, bad news has arrived at the New York Mets doorstep, as staff ace Kodai Senga is expected to miss Opening Day due to what has been described as arm fatigue.

More specifically, according to Team President David Stearns, Senga is suffering from a mild strain of his posterior capsule in the back of his right shoulder. There is no time table for his return, yet the Mets executive stressed there is no need to worry; the Mets expect Senga to pitch significant innings this year.

 “We don’t expect Opening Day, but I do expect him to make a bunch of starts for us this year,” Stearns explained to reporters down in Port St. Lucie. “This is not a surgical-type problem. This is something with rest and treatment — potentially an injection — that can move this forward.”

The news is certainly going to make Mets fans groan. They are used to news like this. From Jacob deGrom’s mysterious elbow injuries that left him on the injury list from months at a time, to Max Scherzer’s injuries before he was dealt last season, fans have grown accustomed to hearing that a Mets starting pitcher will miss time in the rotation.

Without Segna, the Mets are really rolling the dice when it comes to hoping for consistent success and innings out of their starters. Jose Quintana, who has battled his own health issues last season would slot into the top rotation spot, followed by Tylor Megill, Luis Severino, Sean Manaea and Adrian Houser.

It’s a risky rotation full of starters who have a lot to prove in 2024.

There are starters available in free agency like Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery, but the Mets don’t seem willing to make a move at this point mainly because of cost and need. According to SNY’s Andy Martino, the Mets would pay a 110 percent luxory tax on every dollar spent on a top free agent like Snell or Montgomery.

 Without Senga, the 2024 season only got tougher.