Mets receive extremely unsettling Kodai Senga injury update

When the New York Mets placed Kodai Senga on the injured list with a shoulder injury before the regular season began, the expectation was that he wouldn't be out for too long. He'd miss the first month or two of the regular season and be ready to go, coming off of an outstanding rookie campaign, for a Mets team trying to make the playoffs.

Well, we're now in late May, and when Senga makes his season debut remains a mystery. Heck, when he makes his first rehab start remains a mystery following this latest injury update from Mets manager Carlos Mendoza.

Mets fans have been waiting patiently for their ace while the team struggles to remain afloat (2.5 games out of a playoff spot entering play on Monday), and they're going to have to wait even longer.

Kodai Senga injury update is a concerning one

Senga's rehab had already been paused as he was having difficulty with his mechanics. Senga, understandably, wanted to wait to push forward until he was comfortable mechanically. The last thing anyone wants is for a major injury to occur, or for Senga to return before he's ready.

He was supposed to throw a bullpen session on Sunday, but did not wind up partaking due to tricep tightness. This is a new development for the right-hander who is recovering from a shoulder injury and is one that should have Mets fans at least a little bit concerned.

Now, the Mets manager did say he hopes Senga throws a bullpen by the end of this week and that it's only a "low-level concern," but it's hard not to be a bit more concerned when it comes to Senga considering there has already been a bump in the road in his rehab.

If he only winds up missing a week, Mets fans can live with that. What if the tightness doesn't go away? What if he can't throw a bullpen session by the end of the week? Mets fans hope their team wins the World Series but that doesn't mean they're being realistic.

The fact that this issue was concerning enough for Senga to skip the bullpen session and wait another week after he had already paused his rehab for a whole other issue makes it hard to know exactly what is going on. Senga's timeline to return to the Mets or even on a rehab assignment is very unclear at the moment, and that's unsettling for a team in desperate need of its ace.