“The Mets and Senga’s camp are talking this through, figuring out what the next steps are going to be. Senga, to be clear, has a right in his contract, that the Mets accepted, to reject an assignment to the minor leagues. There’s no indication that he will reject it. But they’re talking about exactly how this will work,” insider Andy Martino explained, per SNY.

The Mets hope Kodai Senga can reset in the minors

Although it’s a tricky situation, the team doesn’t anticipate a drawn out process. “When I asked somebody about it this morning I was told we’re gonna know which way this is going in roughly 24-36 hours,” Martino said.

New York has slowly transitioned its three top pitching prospects into the rotation. Nolan McLean led the way, followed by Jonah Tong. Now, the Mets have called up Brandon Sproat. The change was necessary with the team’s veteran starters struggling as the season wears on.

It initially seemed like Senga had returned to his 2023 ace form after a promising start. He was 7-3 with a 1.39 ERA over his first 14 outings. But Senga landed on the IL with a hamstring strain and was sidelined for a month. Since his return to the Mets’ rotation in July, he’s been a different pitcher.

Senga is 0-3 with a 6.56 ERA and 1.733 WHIP in eight starts since rejoining the team on July 11. While he’s still striking batters out at a good clip, his walk rate has increased. Even worse, his home run percentage has more than doubled. Senga has allowed eight homers in his last eight outings. Prior to his stint on the IL, he gave up four home runs in 14 starts.

The Mets are hoping Senga can reset with some time in the minors. But he has to accept the assignment first. The team is six games behind the Philadelphia Phillies in the NL East but holds a four-game lead for the third Wild Card berth.