The New York Mets have been riding a wave of strong starting pitching early in the 2025 season. Outside of a minor hiccup from Opening Day starter Clay Holmes—who, let’s be honest, hardly fell apart by only giving up two earned runs—the rotation has been as sturdy as an old oak tree.
Now, with the momentum rolling, the Mets look to keep the good times going as Kodai Senga takes the mound on Tuesday.
Kodai Senga makes his first start of the season tonight for the Mets
pic.twitter.com/4bUmkfndIu
— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) April 1, 2025
That’s right: the ghost fork is back.
Kodai Senga’s Road Back
Senga’s journey to this moment has been anything but smooth. The 2024 season was a frustrating one for both him and the Mets, as injuries limited him to just a single regular-season start before a tough postseason showing.
Knowing they couldn’t afford a repeat of that, the Mets took the cautious route with Senga this spring, easing him back into form like a mechanic carefully fine-tuning a high-performance sports car.
His final spring outing was a glimpse of what he’s capable of—3.2 innings of work with six strikeouts, no hits allowed, and just one unearned run. The most important number from that day? Zero. As in zero signs of lingering issues. Now, the training wheels are off, and he’s ready for a full workload in his first official start of the year.
A Duel in Miami
Tuesday night presents an early-season test, as Senga is set to face off against Miami Marlins ace and former Cy Young winner Sandy Alcántara.
The Grapefruit League stats suggest Senga is up for the challenge—he finished the spring with a 2.00 ERA and a strikeout per inning. While spring training numbers aren’t the be-all and end-all, they do hint at a pitcher who is finding his groove again. And that’s exactly what the Mets need.
Managing the Workload Wisely
Everyone remembers the 2023 version of Senga: a dominant force with a 2.98 ERA and 202 strikeouts. That’s the pitcher the Mets are hoping to see again, but they’re also playing the long game. Instead of pushing him to rack up 170 or 180 innings, they may look to manage his workload more carefully—quality over quantity.
The good news? His focus this spring wasn’t on rehab, but on refining his arsenal. A fully healthy Senga with an expanded pitch mix could be a nightmare for opposing hitters.
As the Mets continue their promising start, Senga’s return adds another weapon to an already formidable rotation. Now, it’s time to see if he can recapture the magic of 2023 and help keep the Mets’ pitching dominance rolling.