Carlos Mendoza makes shocking announcement for Mets' NLDS Game 1 starter

Somehow, the New York Mets came back from the brink of elimination once again, rallying from a two-run deficit in the ninth inning to shock the Milwaukee Brewers and advance to the NLDS for the first time since 2015. That win continued a remarkable run for a Mets team that at one point was 11 games under .500.

In order to get that season-saving win, the Mets did just about whatever they could. They used Edwin Diaz in the seventh inning and asked him to record five outs. They used David Peterson, a starting pitcher, to record the final three outs of the night. Peterson's usage was especially interesting, because he was the expected Game 1 starter of the NLDS for New York had they advanced without needing to use him.

With Peterson having pitched on Thursday, it was anyone's best guess as to who'd get the ball in Saturday's series opener. Would it be Tylor Megill, a pitcher who had pitched well down the stretch but was in the minors in August and not even on their Wild Card Series roster? Would it be a bullpen game featuring several different pitchers?

It turns out, the Mets had a magic trick up their sleeves. Kodai Senga, the team's ace, is set to make his return to take the ball for Saturday's series opener against the Philadelphia Phillies, adding even more fuel to New York's fire.

For more news and rumors, check out MLB Insider Robert Murray’s work on The Baseball Insiders podcast, subscribe to The Moonshot, our weekly MLB newsletter, and join the discord to get the inside scoop between now and the MLB offseason.

For more news and rumors, check out MLB Insider Robert Murray’s work on The Baseball Insiders podcast, subscribe to The Moonshot, our weekly MLB newsletter, and join the discord to get the inside scoop between now and the MLB offseason.

Kodai Senga set to make shocking return for series opener vs. Phillies

Senga had an awesome rookie season with the Mets, finishing as the NL Rookie of the Year runner-up behind Corbin Carroll, and finishing seventh in the NL Cy Young balloting. He was expected to carry an unpredictable rotation in 2024, but a shoulder injury kept him out for the entire first half.

He'd return for one start against the Atlanta Braves in late July and deliver a masterpiece, allowing just one run on two hits in 5.2 innings of work in a Mets win with nine strikeouts. Unfortunately, he'd leave that start after just 73 pitches after suffering a calf strain. He had hoped to return prior to the conclusion of the regular season, but had an unfortunate setback in a rehab start forcing him to rest again.

He was omitted from the Wild Card Series roster, but is evidently ready to go for Saturday's opener. The only question now other than how crisp his stuff will be is how long can he go?

Based on the fact that all Senga has done since suffering the calf injury is pitch one minor league inning and throw some bullpen and live batting practice sessions, he presumably won't have more than a couple of innings at most in the tank.

As unfortunate as that might be, the Mets will take anything they can get from their ace at this point. Nobody on the roster has close to his upside, and even if all he has is two scoreless innings in him, those two innings can turn out to be crucial.

The Mets will have presumably anyone not named Jose Quintana (Thursday's starter) and Luis Severino (New York's Game 2 starter) available to pitch behind Senga, and with a pair of off-days included in this five-game series, they can get away with using several arms if that's what's needed to earn a road win.

Whether Senga can work his way up to a normal pitch count at any point in the postseason remains to be seen, but the fact that he's even available at all should provide another spark to a team that seems to have everything going its way right now.