New York Mets pitcher Kodai Senga answers questions during a news interview prior to the first baseball game of a doubleheader against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Tuesday, May 28, 2024, in New York.
11:27 JST, July 24, 2024
NEW YORK (AP) — Mets rookie Christian Scott was placed on the 15-day injured list Tuesday with a sprained ligament in his right elbow, sidelining New York’s top pitcher indefinitely.
Scott is 0-3 with a 4.56 ERA in nine major league starts since making his debut on May 4 with an impressive performance in Tampa Bay. He said his elbow was sore after Sunday’s game in Miami and underwent an MRI Tuesday when the Mets returned home.
Scott was placed on the IL retroactive to Monday with a sprained ulnar collateral ligament in his pitching elbow. Left-hander Alex Young was recalled from Triple-A Syracuse.
New York manager Carlos Mendoza said Scott will be evaluated by multiple doctors before determining how long he might be out. There is “always a fear” the injury will require surgery.
Especially since this is something he dealt with last year (in the minors), Mendoza said. “That’s why we tried to protect him as much as we could. But it happened, you know? So again, I don’t want to speculate on this. Hopefully we get good news, but we’ll have to wait and see.”
Despite his winless record, Scott has shown promise in 47 1/3 innings and several frugal outings in the majors. His loss is a major blow to a Mets team that entered the day in a tight race for the final National League wild card.
Kodai Senga is scheduled to come off the injured list and start in his season debut Friday night against Atlanta. But the Mets are still planning a six-man rotation when Senga returns, as the Japanese right-handed pitcher is accustomed to pitching on at least five days of rest.
Someone will have to take the lead, Mendoza said.
Tylor Megill, currently in the minors, and Jose Buttó are among the candidates to fill Scott’s rotation spot. Buttó started the first three months of the season for the Mets and Syracuse, but he has become a valuable reliever for New York since returning to the majors in early July.
Those are some of the conversations we need to have here, how we want to approach this next phase, Mendoza said. “In Butto’s case, how far can we push him? It’s been almost, I think almost a month since he threw 100 pitches, and then it was one-inning outings, two innings, no more than 40 pitches.”
The team’s projected No. 1 starter, Senga, has been sidelined since the start of spring training with a right shoulder capsule injury. The 2023 All-Star and NL Rookie of the Year runner-up threw 79 pitches in three innings for Syracuse on Saturday in his fourth minor league rehab outing, allowing five runs and eight hits.
I’ve been working towards this for the last few months, so I feel 100 percent ready and I’m looking forward to getting back to work, Senga said through an interpreter after throwing his bullpen.
Senga said it was “very, very, very difficult, both mentally and physically” to be sidelined for so long.
But now that I’m ready, I want to put all that frustration into the second half and perform, he said.
Scott threw 75 pitches in four innings Sunday in a 4-2 loss to the Marlins, surrendering seven hits and three runs — except for a three-run homer by Jazz Chisholm Jr. in the fourth.
In other news, Mendoza said veteran big league outfielder Jackie Bradley Jr. will report to Triple-A after reaching a deal with the Mets. Bradley played for the Long Island Ducks in the independent Atlantic League.
Another profound piece, Mendoza said. “I’ve seen this guy play really well at this level.”
