On Sunday, Carlos Mendoza tried to keep his composure, but if there was ever a week for the Mets manager to momentarily let go of that reserved approach, this would be it.
The Mets have long awaited a pivotal week like this one, dating back to the uncertainties of spring training. During a challenging week in February in Port St. Lucie, they received the unsettling news that both Sean Manaea and Frankie Montas would not be ready for the season’s start.
The situation became more complicated on June 12 when Kodai Senga suffered a hamstring strain. However, with Montas making his return last month after recovering from a lat strain, the Mets are on the cusp of seeing their top two offseason pitching acquisitions alongside their star pitcher in action simultaneously. They’re about to experience a sense of normalcy they haven’t had for some time.
So, yes, Mendoza acknowledged after the Mets lost to the Yankees to complete the Subway Series, this is “exciting.” Getting Manaea and Senga back this week — alongside designated hitter and outfielder Jesse Winker — would be “huge,” and it’s something Mendoza admitted he didn’t expect when he saw Senga leap for a throw from Pete Alonso and instantly start rolling around on the grass in pain about a month ago. Manaea’s oblique injury in spring, followed by an elbow-related setback, didn’t make pitching at this point of the season a guarantee, either.
