Mets' Kodai Senga Scratched From Start

The New York Mets continue to run into a variety of pitching ailments this spring. This time, the injury bug has hit Kodai Senga, who has been scratched from his Saturday night start. 

Kodai Senga has been scratched from his start tonight and will undergo testing due to "discomfort in right index finger", per @AnthonyDiComo pic.twitter.com/GUxsWZ8r4e

— Shea Station (@shea_station) March 11, 2023

Senga has discomfort at the base of his right index finger, according to a Mets' team release. It's unclear how serious (if at all) the problem is; he is scheduled to undergo some testing to determine the exact nature and severity of the issue.

According to Tim Britton of The Athletic, Mets manager Buck Showalter said Senga probably would have pitched were this a regular-season game: “He’s had some discomfort the last few days, and we didn’t think it was a good idea to pitch.”

The Japanese sensation has made just one spring start thus far, as the Mets are easing him into North American baseball slowly. He signed a five-year, $75 million contract this past winter after being posted by his Japanese team, the SoftBank Hawks. 

The 30-year-old Senga had averaged 122 innings per season with the Hawks in his decade of work in Japan, though he posted 148 innings in 2022. He had a career 2.59 ERA with 10.3 K/9. 

The Mets have also faced injury concerns this spring with starters David Peterson and José Quintana, in addition to reliever Brooks Raley. Peterson should be good to go for the start of the season, and will likely be moved into the rotation in place of Quintana. 

Photo: Rich Storry-USA TODAY Sports