Mets Kodai Senga healthy, upbeat after another solid spring outing

Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Mike Puma about the inside buzz on the Mets from spring training PORT ST.LUCIE — Kodai Senga spent Friday night working on his mechanics, trying to get himself ready so that he can take his first turn in the Mets rotation after Clay Holmes was named the Opening Day starter earlier in the day.The famously finicky Senga was fine in his latest Grapefruit League outing at Clover Park in a 53-pitch start in which he worked into the fourth inning against St.

Louis and allowed seven hits and a pair of runs.More importantly, he emerged from the outing in one piece, something that didn’t happen often a year ago.“We know what he means to this team and this rotation,’’ Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said.“Everyone saw it in 2023.

That’s what we’re looking for.If he’s healthy, he’s an ace.

We need that.Right now, he’s trending in the right direction.”By this point last spring, Senga was already dealing with the shoulder strain that derailed his first half.Mendoza is seeing a different Senga this time around.“Something I didn’t see last year was a smile on his face [and] joy,’’ Mendoza said.

“Last year he was down early in camp and rehabbing.It’s good to see the way he’s carrying himself now.”Senga made just one regular-season start a year ago due to the shoulder injury and a calf strain — with some mechanical issues mixed in.Before the game, Mendoza said the team hadn’t mapped out when Senga would make his first start of the year, as they are more focused on simply getting Senga ready for the year after the debacle of 2024.On Friday, Senga said he wasn’t thinking much about when his first start would be.“The most important thing is to get through the entire season healthy,” Senga said through an interpreter.

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