Kodai Senga set for rehab start with Double-A Binghamton after ulnar nerve irritation setback

The New York Mets confirmed that right-hander Kodai Senga is scheduled to return to the mound on Thursday for Double-A Binghamton, continuing a rehab assignment that ran into a brief interruption earlier this week. The update follows Senga’s scratch from his planned start on Tuesday, when the Mets cited ulnar nerve irritation as the reason he did not pitch.

Rehab assignments are a practical bridge between medical progression and live-game intensity, and Senga’s next scheduled step suggests the Mets remain focused on getting him through a controlled workload. Double-A Binghamton, part of the Mets’ player development pipeline, gives a venue for hitters who are farther along than rookie ball but not at the full pace of the majors, which can matter when a pitcher is building back from a specific irritation.

The Mets’ announcement came after Wednesday’s game result against the St. Louis Cardinals. According to the report, the team’s internal plan has Senga moving back toward his intended rhythm after being pulled from Tuesday’s outing, with Thursday’s pitch marking the restart point for the rehab segment.

Ulnar nerve irritation is often treated with careful attention to how a pitcher responds to throwing, because nerve-related problems can affect grip, arm action, and the ability to repeat mechanics over multiple days. Even when the underlying issue improves, teams typically prefer to restore confidence in the arm through incremental steps rather than forcing a faster timeline.

For Binghamton, Senga’s presence is significant beyond the headline. A veteran with major league experience can accelerate a rehab progression because it brings structure to how a pitcher is managed during outings, and it also gives the organization a clear read on whether stamina and command are returning in tandem. For Mets fans, the detail that the Mets “confirmed” Thursday’s plan is the most important part of the news, because it indicates the team believes he can safely be moved into the next stage.

At the same time, this is still a rehab context, which means the next move depends on how Senga handles Thursday’s work and the follow-up period afterward. Rehab assignments can be extended, reduced, or adjusted if the pitcher’s response is not what the medical staff expects, and Wednesday’s update does not, on its own, establish a guaranteed path back to the major league rotation.

What to watch next is straightforward: whether Senga is able to pitch the full planned workload on Thursday, how the Mets track his arm after the session, and whether his rehab cadence resumes without additional interruptions. That sequence will likely determine how quickly the Mets can turn a rehabilitation plan into a usable roster option for the big league staff.

For now, the Mets’ message is clear that the rehab delay from Tuesday was not a shutdown of the assignment, but a pause, and Thursday’s outing for Binghamton represents the restart of that process. In a season where bullpen and rotation depth can be tested quickly by workload management, getting a confirmed next pitching appearance is a step the organization can build on as the days go forward.