<\/p>\n
The New York Mets are enduring some significant challenges for their starting rotation and it looks like those could get worse before they get any better.<\/p>\n
The team has fallen into the final National League Wild Card spot and is in danger of missing the playoffs completely as its pitching staff sees injury and performance setbacks. Frankie Montas and Griffin Canning have been ruled out for the season, while Sean Manaea, Clay Holmes and David Peterson have struggled to stay in games.<\/p>\n
The Mets have called up a trio of rookie starters to carry the load and it looks like that could last into the playoffs as manager Carlos Mendoza revealed that former franchise ace Kodai Senga might not be ready to return in time.<\/p>\n
“I wouldn’t say definitely,” Mendoza said of whether Senga will be part of the team’s postseason pitching staff, according to Colin Martin of SNY.<\/p>\n
The Mets relegated Senga to the minors after his ERA grew to 6.56 across eight starts earlier this season. In two minor-league starts so far this year he has a 3.72 ERA and he’s set to make another start before the Mets decide whether or not to include him on a potential playoff roster.<\/p>\n
But leaving the door open to the idea that Senga wouldn’t make the cut raised the possibility of a brutal decline for the pitcher. Senga was an All-Star in his rookie season before making just one start due to injury last year and then struggling mightily in this campaign.<\/p>\n
“I think we’ll have the conversations and we’ll take the 13 guys that we feel are going to give us the best chance to win baseball games in October,” Mendoza added, per Martin. “But Senga, I think the biggest thing is for him to go out there (Thursday) and have a good performance, and then we have decisions there.”<\/p>\n
Given the state of the Mets’ pitching staff, Senga would have to look pretty far away from his previous form to warrant a playoff exclusion. But the team isn’t a lock for the postseason at this point anyway.<\/p>\n
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