2026 is proving to be cruel for Kodai Senga. After having a rough start over five outings, Senga was scratched off since April 28 with lumbar spine inflammation. In his absence, the Mets are operating with Freddy Peralta, Christian Scott, and Nolan McLean in the rotation. Senga was scheduled to start his rehab with Double-A Binghamton on Tuesday, but his rehab is now delayed due to ulnar nerve irritation. Just when the Mets are struggling with a battered rotation, this just adds to their mess.

“Kodai Senga scratched from rehab start in latest Mets injury mess,” New York Post Sports shared via X.

Tuesday was going to be his fourth start in rehab with Binghamton. His last start was at Triple-A Syracuse on June 3, where he pitched 5 innings. Now, his latest nerve irritation in his throwing arm would push Senga’s return deep into summer. That adds to his messy start to this year. Before hitting the IL, Senga recorded a 9.00 ERA from his 5 starts. So, the Mets may not be missing a dominant pitcher, but their rotation is gasping for more arms.

2025 was no different for Senga. He posted a 7-6 record with a 3.02 ERA, a 1.32 WHIP, and 109 SOs over 113.1 innings. His season was significantly impacted by a right hamstring strain suffered in June, which derailed a historic early-season run and resulted in a sharp drop in performance post-injury. While Senga posted a dominant 1.47 ERA in his first 13 starts last year, he had a 5.90 ERA in his final 9 starts.

The rough phase continued till this year, only to be abruptly ended by another injury. And for the Mets, there’s nothing worse left to happen.

The Mets’ rotation is already missing Clay Holmes due to injury. David Peterson was demoted to the bullpen and is currently struggling with a 5.18 ERA. Sean Manaea, although he got promoted to the starting rotation, but his ERA is still above 5.00. Nolan McLean was pitching well, but his 5.35 ERA from the last 7 games sparks fear. Peralta is the only silver lining left, and so is Christian Scott.

Last Friday, Scott’s 5 ²/₃ scoreless innings against the Padres catapulted him to one of the best findings of the Mets. He recorded a 2.50 ERA so far, but betting only on Scott and Peralta is a scary affair. With a 29-36 record, the Mets need an immediate turnaround before the playoff hope fades off completely, and Senga’s delay surely didn’t help the case.

The latest rumor around Peralta would further mess up the Mets’ rotation.

The Mets may be seeking suitors for Peralta

Yes, you heard that right. The best-performing starter in the Mets’ rotation is likely to get traded by the deadline.

“The Trade: New York Mets send RHP Freddy Peralta to the Milwaukee Brewers for OF Luis Lara and RHP Craig Yoho,” Bleacher Report’s Kerry Miller said. The Mets already gave up Brandon Sproat in the offseason to have Peralta, and now giving up on Peralta might spell disaster. However, Peralta will hit free agency after 2026, and if the Mets’ playoff hopes get off to a good start this season, seeking a good value for him would be a wise choice.

The Mets’ rotation and lineup both need replenishment, and if offloading Peralta could help in that, the Mets could proceed. Mets’ president David Stearns has, though, stated that there is “no interest in shopping” Peralta or anyone else, and remains committed to making a postseason push, but the Mets’ dwindling numbers are not assuring enough.

Without Holmes and Senga and with Peralta getting traded, it’s scarier to project a starting rotation without these names.