Mets' Kodai Senga looks and feels like an ace again

Senga's strong start to the 2026 season has the Mets dreaming of a three-headed monster atop their rotation.

Apr. 1, 2026 at 5:39pm

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After two injury-plagued seasons, Mets pitcher Kodai Senga showed flashes of his dominant 2023 rookie form in his first start of 2026, striking out 9 batters over 6 innings and reaching 99.2 mph on his fastball. Senga's resurgence could give the Mets a formidable 1-2-3 punch at the top of their rotation alongside Freddy Peralta and Nolan McLean.

Why it matters

The Mets have high expectations for the 2026 season, and getting a healthy and effective Kodai Senga back to his 2023 form would be a huge boost to their World Series aspirations. Senga's ability to regain his ace-level stuff would give the Mets one of the most dominant starting rotations in baseball.

The details

Senga, a Japanese right-hander, struggled with injuries in 2024 and 2025, to the point where he was demoted to Triple-A at the end of last season. There were questions about his place in the Mets' rotation entering spring training this year. But Senga impressed in his first start, striking out 9 batters over 6 innings while hitting 99.2 mph on his fastball and throwing 7 different pitches that generated 17 swings and misses. His signature 'ghost fork' pitch was as effective as ever, generating 4 strikeouts.

  • Senga made his first start of the 2026 season on April 1st against the St. Louis Cardinals.

The players

Kodai Senga

A Japanese right-handed pitcher for the New York Mets who had a breakout 2023 season but struggled with injuries in 2024 and 2025.

Freddy Peralta

One of the Mets' frontline starting pitchers, forming a 1-2 punch at the top of the rotation alongside Nolan McLean.

Nolan McLean

One of the Mets' frontline starting pitchers, forming a 1-2 punch at the top of the rotation alongside Freddy Peralta.

Carlos Mendoza

The manager of the New York Mets.

David Stearns

The president of baseball operations for the New York Mets.

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What they’re saying

“It was a great start to the year. It makes me excited for this year. Being out there, I could start to deduce, 'What is this hitter thinking? What are they looking for? What's something that they're not looking for?' Being out there and able to do that, it's a good feeling. I'm excited. It really felt like I'm a starting pitcher again.”

— Kodai Senga, Pitcher

“He was really good. From the very first pitch, we saw the velo. For him to be able to maintain the velocity throughout the outing, that's exciting.”

— Carlos Mendoza, Manager

What’s next

The Mets will look for Kodai Senga to build on his strong season debut and continue to show he can be a frontline starter for the team.

The takeaway

Kodai Senga's dominant first start of the 2026 season has the Mets hopeful that he can regain the form that made him one of the best young pitchers in baseball in 2023. If Senga can stay healthy and pitch like an ace, it would give the Mets one of the most formidable starting rotations in the majors.