MIAMI — Kodai Senga’s latest rehab outing ended up being awful, but that won’t factor into the Mets’ plans for the right-hander.
If Senga feels better over the next day or two, he is expected to pitch for the Mets and take the mound against the Braves on Friday at Citi Field.
Senga is scheduled to throw bullpen drills at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday ahead of his expected start.
“Everything is going in the right direction,” manager Carlos Mendoza said Sunday, a day after Senga threw 79 pitches over three innings for Triple-A Syracuse against Rochester, allowing five earned runs on eight hits and three walks.
Speaking with Syracuse coach Dick Scott, Mendoza compared Senga’s performance — his splitter was an issue — to what pitchers do late in spring training.
“You go into spring training and there are some games you struggle with and it’s going to be a battle,” Mendoza said. “And I think that was the case for him as well. [Saturday]but at the end of the day it’s about how he feels physically. He keeps saying he feels good.”
Pitching coach Jeremy Hefner said he had spoken with Senga and had no concerns about the right-hander.
“I think he would have liked to have pitched better, but I don’t think he was worried about the outcome,” Heffner said. “He’s mostly worried about being healthy, his shoulder, his elbow, making sure his body is in good condition.”
Senga was diagnosed with a right shoulder injury early in spring training and was placed on the disabled list to start the season.
His rehab suffered a setback in May when he was plagued by triceps strain, and his latest recovery didn’t begin until June.
Manager Hefner said he expects Senga to pitch five innings and 85 pitches in his first start.
As part of bringing back Senga, the Mets plan to move to a six-man rotation, which would give other pitchers an advantage.
Last season, the Mets sometimes used a six-man rotation among their starters to give Senga an extra day of rest.
Senga started 29 games for the Mets last year, finishing second in the National League Rookie of the Year voting with a 12-7 record and a 2.98 ERA while striking out 202 batters in 166 1/3 innings.
Hefner named Sean Manaea as a player who could get a boost from an extended rotation.
“[Manaea] “We had a lot of rotation between relief and starting last year, so we have to keep all of our guys in mind, not just Kodai,” Heffner said. “It’s kind of a side effect of adding a guy like Kodai, everybody’s going to get some rest.”
