Mets shift Kodai Senga to bullpen role as Carlos Mendoza looks to add flexibility

The Mets are changing the way they plan to use Kodai Senga, moving the right-hander to the bullpen ahead of Wednesday’s doubleheader, manager Carlos Mendoza said. The decision comes after Senga struggled in a Tuesday night loss in which he allowed seven runs, leaving New York to adjust quickly as the schedule demands another set of innings on back-to-back days.

Mendoza’s description of the new plan centered on versatility. According to the Mets manager, Senga could be deployed in a variety of bullpen roles, including multiple-inning “bulk relief” as needed, or in higher-leverage situations depending on how the early parts of games develop.

For the Mets, the move is significant because Senga has been viewed primarily as a rotation presence. A shift to the bullpen changes how New York manages its starter corps, particularly in a week where doubleheaders and closely spaced starts can tighten the margin for rest and pitching workload.

The timing of the announcement matters, too. Mendoza made the change known before Wednesday, giving the bullpen a clear extra lever to pull during the two-game span. That does not guarantee Senga will pitch in both games or in the same kind of appearance each time, but it indicates that the Mets want the option to keep his innings value close to the moments where leverage is highest.

Wednesday’s doubleheader context is part of why a role like Senga’s can be especially useful. When teams face two contests in one day, late-inning depth becomes more complicated and the bullpen’s ability to cover multiple innings can decide whether the team can stay aggressive with relievers. Mendoza indicated Senga’s usage could include longer stretches, which would help limit the number of pitchers needed to navigate the middle and late frames.

There is also a clear tactical element in the idea of high-leverage bullpen usage on consecutive days. Managing back-to-back pitching is often about matching the right arm to the right hitters at the right time, and Mendoza’s comments suggest the Mets are looking at Senga as an innings-and-matchup tool rather than a fixed-in-the-rotation option for this stretch.

What to watch next is how the Mets translate the plan into actual appearances. The key questions for New York are whether Senga is used primarily for bulk innings, saved for late leverage, or mixed between those roles, and how the rest of the bullpen reshapes around him. The coming days should also clarify whether this is a short-term adjustment tied to recent performance and schedule strain, or an extended look at Senga’s fit outside the starting rotation.