PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- New York Mets right-hander Kodai Senga threw live batting practice Saturday, and the team was encouraged by his performance coming off an injury-shortened season.
"I saw a smile on his face -- that's a good sign," Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. "It's good. The fact that he's facing hitters this early in camp, that's a good sign.
"It was just effortless. I was asking for the velo with the way the ball was coming out, using all his pitches already, the delivery, everything, it looked good."
Senga was limited to one start in July during the 2024 regular season because of shoulder and calf injuries after entering the year as the projected No. 1 starter. He returned in the playoffs and struggled, posting a 12.60 ERA in two games he started and one relief appearance.
The Mets are hoping he can bounce back and return to the form he had two years ago. Senga was 12-7 with a 2.98 ERA in 29 starts in 2023, when he was an All-Star, the runner-up for NL Rookie of the Year and finished seventh in NL Cy Young Award voting.
The Mets are coming off a season that surpassed modest expectations.
New York started slowly, winning 22 of 55 games, and finished strong. The Mets eliminated Milwaukee and Philadelphia in the postseason before ending a remarkable run in Game 6 of the NL Championship Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.