After pitching a 6.56 ERA over the last eight starts and surrendering five earned runs over 4 ²/₃ innings in a loss to Miami last weekend, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza was asked if the veteran, who posted an exceptional 1.47 earned run average in his first 13 starts before injury, would accept the idea of pitching in the minors? Mendoza responded, “I don’t know about that. We all know he’s going to have to give us consent.”

Then the Mets optioned Kodai Senga to Triple-A Syracuse on Friday for the first time since arriving in New York in a five-year, $75MM contract in 2022 to regain his form. Senga, 32, could have declined the options as his contract stipulated that Senga could only be optioned with his consent.

At that point, SNY’s Andy Martino reported that the decision would not affect Senga’s relationship with the organisation. In a recent post on X, Martino wrote: “The relationship between Senga and the Mets is in very good shape. He was included in the discussions about the option, which should last about 2 starts depending how he does, per league sources. He felt respected by the process and consented without issue.”

The move struck a different chord with anyone who heard it because Senga had been celebrated as the ace of the Mets’ rotaton just a year earlier; he’d finished 2023 with 202 strikeouts and earning an All-Star nod in 2025 before his hamstring setback. Scouts have pointed out that Senga’s signature “ghost fork” splitter, the pitch that fooled so many hitters in 2023, hasn’t looked the same since his injury. Few pitchers with that résumé experience a midseason option to the minors and that should show how steep his decline is and yet how urgent the Mets view his reset.

For Mets fans, the open communication still was a reassuring sign. In the past, the franchise has been criticized for poor transparency with players during difficult roster decisions ( Remember when reliever Jorge López was designated for assignment by the Mets after being misquotes?). But by directly involving Senga in the process, the Mets have managed to avoid any potential clubhouse tension.

Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns said, “He wants to do what’s right for the team…. And I think we all got to the point that the best possible chance for him to do that is take a step back, be able to work on what he needs to work on in a controlled environment, and go from there,” about Senga’s demotion.

Senga, the former Rookie of the Year runner-up with a 3.02 ERA, was quite straightforward about the decision. “I’m working my tail off to get back to (being effective),” Senga told reporters last weekend. “And it’s as simple as, if I’m able to do it, we’re in the postseason and I’m pitching out there. And if I’m not able to, then there’s no spot for me to pitch.” Senga will be replaced by Brandon Sproat in a six-man rotation. So, how does the Mets’ roster look in light of this decision?

What will the Mets’ rotation look like?

LHP David Peterson will remain the first starter. Then the list goes like; RHP Kodai Senga (demoted to minors), RHP Clay Holmes, LHP Sean Manaea, RHP Frankie Montas (elbow injury sidelined him for the rest of the season), RHP Griffin Canning (sidelined with Achilles injury), RHP Tylor Megill (on rehab and allowed three runs in four innings on Tuesday’s rehab), RHP Nolan McLean( had a 1.37 ERA in four starts and was called up last month), RHP Jonah Tong (debuted last week where he allowed just one earned run in five innings an earned the win).

And the demotion does not impact Senga’s postseason availability. As per the rules, players must be in the organization at 11:59 p.m. ET on Aug. 31, and Senga was in the lineup all season until Friday. But if things don’t seem to head in the direction the Mets want before October, then moving Senga to the bullpen will be the last and least favourable choice for the Mets. As Stearns said, “didn’t feel like the right thing to do.” 

Sproat’s call-up also shows how much more willing the Mets have become to lean on their farm system. A second-round pick in 2023, Sproat had been flashing a mid-90s fastball and a sharper changeup at Double-A and Triple-A, enough for the team to trust him with innings in the middle of a playoff push, an opportunity they might have been more hesitant to give a young arm in past years.

The Mets also sent catcher Hayden Senger (.174 in 30 games) to Syracuse, along with Senga. And activated catcher Francisco Alvarez(who was hitting .323/.408/.645 in 71 plate appearances before his injury and just slammed a grand slam before activation) in his place, and their recent acquisition, reliever Wander Suero, before their Friday series against the Cincinnati Reds.

Hopefully, Senga manages to find his rhythm in Syracuse, or he risks missing out on a playoff roster spot.