The Mets Will Plow Through The Senga Injury.

We interrupt this feel-good Mets season to present its first major injury quandary.

Kodai Senga going down in the sixth inning yesterday with a hamstring pull comes at a somewhat inopportune time. With nine games against the Braves and Phillies coming up, the Mets have a chance to bury their two biggest divisional rivals and put the season on cruise control.

Sure, the Mets have both Frankie Montas and Sean Manaea on rehab assignments in the minor leagues, and Paul Blackburn ready to go in the bullpen. But losing Senga is still a blow.

You see, Senga is almost like the Mets' replacement for Jacob deGrom. When he’s healthy, he looks like the best pitcher in baseball. It’s keeping him healthy—that’s the question. To borrow from Seinfeld, the Mets can get the ace pitcher, they just can’t always keep the ace pitcher healthy.

You hope Manaea is the same guy from last year, after he changed his arm angle and became a poor man’s Chris Sale. And you wonder what magic the pitching lab and Jeremy Hefner might have in store for Montas. Until we see them pitch in the big leagues, you just never know.

Senga may only miss a start or two. However, last year a calf pull kept him out for two months—so maybe the Mets will need to go out and get a starter at the deadline.

You wonder how many innings Clay Holmes has in his arm, and both Griffin Canning and Tylor Megill can be hit or miss these days.

In fact, only David Peterson gives you the warm fuzzies every time he takes the mound.

Okay, now let’s address the elephant in the room—or more like the G.O.A.T. in the room: a reunion with deGrom, which is something making the rounds on social media these days.. Even if the Rangers plan on shopping him—and if Steve Cohen is willing to fork over the money to take on the contract while paying the Cohen Tax—there’s also the small detail of getting deGrom to waive his no-trade clause to come back to New York.

It’s more likely the Rangers work something out with the Braves, especially if Atlanta plays its way back into the race.

Now that I’ve put that nightmare in your head, deGrom probably stays put in Arlington. It’s a huge chunk of change he’s owed over the next two seasons, and you have to wonder if a 37- or 38-year-old will be able to stay healthy.

Instead, the perfect scenario is this: Senga misses two or three starts and comes back just as strong as before. Manaea looks like last year’s version. Montas gives the Mets the luxury of spotting Holmes, Canning, or Megill—allowing for longer rest and preserving innings.

In that case, this could turn out to be a blessing in disguise. Remember, Manaea ran out of gas in Game 6 of the NLCS. If the Mets want their top-line starting pitchers to stay fresh, they’ll need to manage the workload.

More than likely, David Stearns will upgrade the bullpen with a left-handed closer to complement Edwin Díaz—and maybe add a center fielder. Maybe.

But that’s what you get when everything has been feel-good so far in Flushing. Don’t worry, Mets fans. This too shall pass.