Kodai Senga is taking another big step in his return from the injured list toward his 2024 season debut.
The Mets' ace will make his first rehab appearance on Wednesday with the Brooklyn Cyclones, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said in Washington on Monday.
The skipper said the right-hander will "go up to 40 pitches" for the High-A side.
"Whether it's two, three innings, but he'll throw up to 40 pitches," Mendoza added.
Senga threw two ups of a live bullpen last Thursday.
When asked if Mendoza envisions Senga needing the full month of the allotted time in the minors for his rehab, he said "We'll see."
"Biggest thing is that we gotta keep him healthy," the manager said. "Whether it's before the 30 days or we use the whole 30 days, that's TBA. But again, it's one outing at a time and then see where we're at after each one."
The righty will be pitching every six days and that will "most likely" be the plan when he returns to the big leagues.
Senga began the season on the IL due to a capsule strain in his shoulder and was initially projected to make his season debut around the beginning of June. A series of setbacks forced him to delay his season debut and it is now likely he will not return until after the MLB All-Star Break in mid-July.
Gash on head keeps Brandon Nimmo out of lineup Monday
Nimmo is out of the lineup for the series opener against the Washington Nationals after "having a little bit of an accident" in the early hours of Monday morning at the team hotel resulting in a cut on the middle of his forehead after he fainted, the Mets' skipper said.
"I woke up about 5:15 a.m. and my stomach wasn't feeling that great," Nimmo told reporters from the Mets' dugout before the game. "I decided to go to the bathroom, when I got there, I cramped. Assuming from yesterday, the physical exertion from yesterday. And when I cramped I got up really fast and went to go get a drink of water and I came back to the toilet and I don't remember going from the toilet and I just, all I remember is I woke up and I was on the floor of the bathroom and I was confused.
"I was like 'Why am I here?' And when I pushed up I had the blood running off my face from where I hit my head. I'm not sure [on what I hit my head]. I've never had anything like this happen where I just blacked out and I literally can not tell you what happened, I don't know."
The cut on his forehead did not require stitches, but he was "definitely confused and scared when I woke up and was on the ground" and he is not sure how long he was out, but it "probably wasn't very long."
He added that while he isn't sure what caused the incident, after calling the team's trainers they were "able to check all the boxes."
Mendoza said he was examined at a D.C.-area hospital where Nimmo went through all of the tests for a concussion, but they came back negative.
"We went to the [emergency room], got CT scan, an EKG, all the tests that we could think of to find out what this might be," Nimmo said, adding that the conclusion of what most likely happened was his blood pressure spiking as a reaction to the cramp and he fainted.
"We're really glad that that's all, we're really glad that all the tests have come back negative and so that's very positive for us," he said. "Just something that from what I was told by the doctors, something that could happen one time in your life and you could never have to deal with it again."
The outfielder added that people with him yesterday will vouch that he did not consume any alcohol on Sunday.
"I think we got lucky there," Mendoza said.
Nimmo has been one of the Mets' hottest hitters of late, slashing .382/.485/.782 with six home runs in 66 plate appearances over the last 14 games dating back to June 14. But he could return to the lineup soon, adding it was out of an abundance of caution he sat on Monday after not sleeping much.
"They're telling me and I'm feeling like we will try to be as back as soon as possible," Nimmo said.