Mets’ Vientos Requires Additional Rehab Games as Senga Makes Strides in Recovery

The Mets will keep Mark Vientos at Triple-A Syracuse for two more games. His right hamstring needs more time to heal. Meanwhile, Kodai Senga stepped up his work on the bullpen mound Monday.

"It's just more like getting the volume up now," said Mets manager Carlos Mendoza per Newsday.

The young infielder won't see action with the Mets until Friday's matchup with Pittsburgh at the earliest. His minor-league stint has been rough: just two hits in seventeen tries. His big-league numbers weren't much better: a .230 average with six homers before he got hurt.

The news looks better for Senga. His recovery from a June 12 leg problem is ahead of schedule. Through his interpreter, the star pitcher hinted at a possible minor-league stint soon. His stats before the injury were stellar: seven wins, three losses, and a tiny 1.47 ERA.

The team made several moves on Monday. Down went Luisangel Acuna and Tyler Zuber to Syracuse. Acuna needs more at-bats: he'd mostly watched from the bench, running bases or playing defense when called upon.

Up came Richard Lovelady with a big-league deal. He adds a second left-handed arm to the bullpen mix. Travis Jankowski got the call while Jose Siri moved to the long-term injury list.

On Vientos's extended rehab, Mendoza spoke plainly. "We ask young players like Mark about their progress. Sometimes they need extra games to find their swing. That's what we're doing here."