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AP Photo/Jeff Roberson New York Mets pitcher Kodai Senga smiles during a spring training baseball workout Tuesday, Feb. 20, 2024, in Port St. Lucie, Fla.
AP
11:25 JST, February 22, 2024
New York Mets right-hander Kodai Senga experienced some arm fatigue after throwing a side session during spring training.
Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said Wednesday that Senga was being examined by the team’s trainers. Mendoza wasn’t sure if the Japanese pitcher would have an MRI.
“We’ll see. We’ve got to get with the trainers because that was late, obviously,” Mendoza told reporters in Port St. Lucie, Florida. “I’ve got to get more information. But he got on the mound yesterday and today he came in and just overall arm fatigue.”
New York is looking to Senga to help anchor its rotation after he put together an impressive rookie season. The Mets signed right-hander Luis Severino and left-hander Sean Manaea in the offseason, and they acquired right-hander Adrian Houser in a December trade with Milwaukee.
The 31-year-old Senga signed a $75 million, five-year contract with New York in December 2022. He went 12-7 with a 2.98 ERA in 29 starts last year.
The Mets are hoping to rebound after they finished fourth in the NL East with a 75-87 record. David Stearns took over as president of baseball operations in September, and Mendoza was hired in November.
New York also announced Wednesday that it had agreed to a minor league contract with Ji Man Choi. The veteran first baseman played for Pittsburgh and San Diego last year, batting .163 with six homers and 13 RBIs in 39 games.
INTERNATIONAL FLAVOR
It looks as if the Los Angeles Dodgers are making the most of their international roster.
In a video posted by the Dodgers on social media on Wednesday, outfielder Teoscar Hernández is giving a Spanish lesson to new teammates Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
Ohtani offers a near-perfect “Buenos días fanáticos” — Good morning, fans — and then laughs and smiles. Hernández then goes to Yamamoto, and he says “Buenos días.”
Hernández, Ohtani and Yamamoto are entering their first season with LA. Hernández finalized a $23.5 million, one-year contract in January. Ohtani joined the Dodgers on a $700 million, 10-year deal, and Yamamoto received a $325 million, 12-year contract.
Ohtani wants to get 50 at-bats during spring training — counting live batting practice and swings off a pitching machine — to prepare for the regular season, and he thinks he has plenty of time to fit them in. The Dodgers play the San Diego Padres on March 20 in Seoul, South Korea, in their regular-season opener.
The 29-year-old Ohtani told reporters in Glendale, Arizona, that he is feeling good at the plate and seeing the ball well. The two-time AL MVP also said there is nothing new happening with his surgically repaired right elbow.
AP Photo/Ashley Landis Top: Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (17) and Teoscar Hernández , right, participate in spring training baseball workouts at Camelback Ranch in Phoenix, Friday, Feb. 16, 2024. Bottom: Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto (18) and his interpreter Yoshihiro Sonoda, left, greet relief pitcher Alex Vesia (51) during spring training baseball workouts at Camelback Ranch in Phoenix, Monday, Feb. 19, 2024.
FAST FRIENDS
Yankees ace Gerrit Cole threw 36 pitches to Austin Wells over two innings in a simulated game, and then praised the young catcher’s work behind the plate.
The 24-year-old Wells made his major league debut on Sept. 1 at Houston.
“He’s come up and been like, I’ve never saw him bad,” Cole said. “I thought that right away his game-calling was exceptional.”
Wells hit .229 with four homers and 13 RBIs in 19 games last year. He could get significant playing time this season.
“It’s great catching a Cy Young Award winner,” Wells said. “Just trying to build a relationship with him. Started last year just picking his brain. Then come to this spring, the same thing, picking his brain and trying just to understand why he’s throwing what pitches in certain counts.”
Cole was pleased with his outing.
“I threw at least one good pitch of all different pitches and the velo was good,” Cole said.
HE’S HERE
The Washington Nationals added some outfield depth by agreeing to a minor league contract with Jesse Winker.
The 30-year-old Winker appeared in 61 games with Milwaukee last year, batting .199 with a homer and 23 RBIs. He is a .264 hitter with 81 homers and 266 RBIs in 610 career games, also playing for Cincinnati and Seattle.
AILING
San Francisco Giants right-hander Keaton Winn is dealing with elbow soreness after throwing his last bullpen session. He will rest and receive treatment before being reevaluated this weekend.
Winn, who turned 26 on Tuesday, made his big league debut on June 13. He went 1-3 with a 4.68 ERA in nine games with San Francisco last year, including five starts.
