NY Mets aren't tall enough to ride the Kodai Senga rollercoaster during pennant chase

At one point this season, Kodai Senga was considered the ace of the New York Mets. After a majority of the 2024 season was spent recovering from a multitude of injuries, Senga seemed to rediscover what made him great in 2023. Before the All-Star Break, Senga had an ERA of 1.39 over 77 2/3 innings, with 74 strikeouts, 33 walks, and a 1.13 WHIP. He was also a master of pitching out of jams, leaving 88.7% of runners on base. If Senga could go deeper into games, he'd be a strong candidate for the Cy Young.

However, that great season came to a screeching halt on June 12th when he suffered a hamstring injury, which cost him nearly a month. Since returning from injury, Senga has been a different pitcher. In 35 2/3 innings, he has an ERA of 6.56 with 35 strikeouts, 22 walks, and a 1.71 WHIP. His leaving runner on percentage has also dropped by 23%. If the Mets want to make the postseason and go on a deep run, then Senga can not pitch out of the rotation anymore.

Currently, the future of Senga is up in the air. Although he's scheduled to pitch on Sunday, reports are circulating that the Mets are pondering several possibilities for his future. These range from moving Senga out to the bullpen to sending him down to the minors, if Senga agrees to it. While it may not be what Senga wants, the best course of action would be to accept the demotion to the minors.

The bullpen is not the place for Kodai Senga, Syracuse is

When talking about moving a starter to the bullpen, many Mets fans think of what David Peterson did during the 2024 postseason. How he became the long man out of the bullpen and gave many quality innings. While this is something the Mets need to find, Senga is not the answer. Since Senga came to the big leagues, the Mets have wanted to go with a six-man rotation to maximize his effectiveness. If the Mets are questioning how effective he can be on regular rest, how can you trust him to come out of the pen?

There is also the issue of Senga running up his pitch count. A lot of Senga's pitches, especially his forkball, are most effective when they run out of the strike zone. But if his pitches are not effective, you don't know where they'll end up, and his pitch count will be high. The point of the long man is to eat innings, but if Senga's pitch count is high, he'll only go an inning or so. That makes him no different than a typical reliever, which the Mets already have an abundance of.

If Senga accepts a demotion to the minors, it'll allow him to work on his pitches in a less stressful environment. It's hard to tinker and work on your stuff during the heat of a pennant chase. When every game matters, everyone needs to be at their best. However, in Syracuse, Senga can try to figure out what works and what doesn't. He can try to work on his stuff without the pressure of needing to win every game hanging over his head.

It's also an opportunity for Senga to rebuild confidence. If he goes to Syracuse and returns to the pitcher he was at the start of the season, it'll rebuild his confidence. It'll show him he's still a good pitcher and can still get outs at a high level. That simple change in mindset could be what he needs to return to the "ace" he was. While it may not be what Senga wants, going to the minors would be the best thing for his career.