Kodai Senga being moved to the bullpen

It went as a tough loss for Senga, who dropped to 0-7. He entered with the Mets down 3-0, but the team rallied to take a 4-3 lead before Senga gave up a two-run homer to Kyle Schwarber in the seventh. Aside from that, Senga was quite good. He got himself into a big jam in the sixth, with Alec Bohm walking to start the inning and Brandon Marsh following with a double. However, he escaped without a run scoring. After Schwarber’s homer in the seventh, Senga retired eight of nine batters to conclude his outing. It might be enough to get him a start next weekend in Atlanta, but we’ll have to wait and see.

Senga was terrific in the first tonight, averaging 97.8 mph on his 12 fastballs and striking out both Pete Crow-Armstrong and Michael Busch in a perfect inning. After that, though, his fastball plummeted to 95 mph on average, he gave the Cubs six free baserunners and two of the three hits he allowed left the yard. After the game, it sounded like his time in the rotation might come to an end for now. In theory, Senga still has enough in the tank, even while throwing 95 mph, to retire major league hitters. he struck out six tonight and allowed just three hard-hit balls. In practice, though, he’s 0-9 with an 8.10 ERA in 15 starts since last year’s All-Star break.

Scott is eligible to come off the injured list on Saturday, which would bump Kodai Senga back a couple days or out of New York’s rotation entirely. It’ll be David Peterson handling Friday’s series opener. The 27-year-old will wind up missing only a pair of starts after hitting the injured list with a hip impingement earlier this month. He had allowed three earned runs or fewer in eight consecutive starts prior to being tagged for four runs over 4 2/3 innings by the Cardinals during his last start before landing on the shelf. He boasts a strong 3.10 ERA, 1.35 WHIP and 47/19 K/BB ratio across 40 2/3 innings this season. He’s a decent streaming option for fantasy managers in deeper formats where he may have been dropped.

This contest stood zero chance with showers in the forecast throughout the evening at Citi Field. It’ll be made up as a split doubleheader on Wednesday. It’s a tough break for the Cubs as they’re rained out for the second consecutive contest, which pushes Shota Imanaga back an additional day. He’ll be pitching on seven days of rest when he gets the ball on Tuesday at Citi Field. It’ll likely be Kodai Senga drawing the starting assignment for his second turn in New York’s rotation after allowing four runs over four innings in his return from the injured list last week.

Senga’s return from the injured list got off to a rocky start as he struggled to find the strike zone and needed 36 pitches to complete an opening frame where he allowed four runs on two hits and a pair of walks. He walked the first two batters he faced before coughing up a no-doubter to Sal Stewart into the left-field seats. He also gave up a solo shot to Spencer Steer in the frame. He managed to complete four innings, finishing with five strikeout and four walks. He’s been far too unpredictable for fantasy managers to consider trusting him when he faces the Cubs his next time out on Monday.

Senga is back to make his return after missing close to two months with both a back and arm issue. The right-hander was awful prior to his placement on the injured list, and while Senga has had success at the highest level, fantasy managers may want to see how he looks in the majors before rushing to the waiver wire.

Senga will return to New York’s rotation for the first time since late April. The 33-year-old was hit extremely hard in five early-season starts and is hardly a recommended streaming option for fantasy managers, especially with this outing coming in hitter-friendly Cincinnati. He’s shown flashes of fantasy relevance in the past, which is why he’s worth monitoring in deeper mixed leagues.

Senga looked sharp in his latest outing on Thursday, allowing just one run on one hit over six innings at Double-A Binghampton. He got up to 75 pitches in that one, so expect him to be around 90 offerings his next time out.

Senga punched out five batters in the contest while allowing only one base on balls. He threw 75 pitches in the contest (51 strikes), showing no ill effects of the nerve irritation that caused him to miss his last rehab start. It’s possible that the Mets could decide he’s ready to return after this one, though it remains unclear what role he’s going to work in.

Senga was scratched from a rehab start earlier this week with nerve irritation. It wound up being a relatively minor setback since he’s been cleared to take the ball just a few days later. The 33-year-old remains without a definitive return timetable to rejoin New York’s pitching mix, but he’s presumably getting close.