Kodai Senga's latest spring training outing reveals positive news for Mets fans

Kodai Senga's 2024 season with the New York Mets was mostly a wash. 

Right shoulder and calf injuries led the Japanese right-hander to make just one regular-season start before he returned in the postseason.

The 2024 playoffs weren't a success for Senga either, as he allowed six earned runs in just three innings in Game 1 of the NLCS against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Mets likely envisioned a better version of the former Nippon Professional Baseball ace, who led the Pacific League in strikeouts twice (2019, 2020) with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks. 

Senga and his infamous "ghost forkball" led him to a 3.02 ERA in 22 starts in 2025, but his average fastball velocity dropped two mph (95.7 to 93.7) since his rookie year. 

Senga is lighting up the radar gun at spring training 

According to MLB.com's Anthony DiComo, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza told reporters that Senga reached 97 mph on his fastball during his live batting practice session on Thursday. 

That, perhaps, is a hopeful sign for the Mets, who hope Senga can be one of the top arms in the rotation. Due to the decrease in velocity on his fastball last season, opposing hitters recorded a .279 batting average against the pitch. 

New York will garner a better idea of Senga's outlook for the season near the conclusion of spring training. He is not on Samurai Japan's pitching staff for next month's World Baseball Classic. 

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