Could Senga return as ace reliever? ‘That’s up to them’

Kodai Senga, ace reliever? It’s at least a possibility.

Senga, who has appeared in just one game this season due to a series of maladies including a strained right shoulder capsule and a strained left calf, said Monday that he’s open to the idea of coming out of the bullpen in late September and October if he’s healthy enough to do so.

“Given where we are in the season, realistically, am I going to be able to throw five, six innings as a starter? Probably not,” Senga said through interpreter Hiro Fujiwara. “Whether they use me as a starter or in the bullpen, that’s up to them. I just want to be ready to throw as many innings as possible for the team.”

For now, the idea of Senga as a reliever remains more theoretical than anything. Between now and Sept. 26, the day he’s eligible to come off the injured list, Senga must ramp up with a series of bullpen sessions, then face hitters and potentially appear in rehab games. But Senga is trending well enough that both he and manager Carlos Mendoza consider it possible for him to return from the IL on that date.

They’ll know more once he starts throwing bullpens, which Senga said should happen “very soon.”

“If that guy’s healthy, any way you can put him, whether it’s a starter or on a pitch count or out of the bullpen, those are some of the conversations that we will be having with him,” Mendoza said. “The biggest thing is that we’ve got to get him back feeling 100 percent and healthy and somehow helping us win baseball games — which if he’s 100 percent, he will.”

Senga, who is in the second season of a five-year, $75 million contract, missed the entire first half of this season recovering from a strained posterior capsule in his right shoulder. He returned on July 26 and pitched into the sixth inning, but strained his calf while fielding his position and has been rehabbing ever since.

The right-hander was the Mets’ best pitcher last season, producing a 2.98 ERA over 29 starts and making the National League All-Star team. But he has thrown just 5 1/3 Major League innings since that time.

“I think the words that most accurately describe the season is, ‘It’s been tough,’” Senga said. “It’s been a tough season. It has been disappointing to not be out there, and that’s all there is.”

The Mets could receive a separate pitching boost later this month if rookie Christian Scott continues progressing well from a sprained UCL in his right elbow. Although Scott won’t know for certain how things will go until he begins pitching with more intensity, he has been throwing all his pitches off the slope of a mound and also expects to advance to bullpen sessions soon.

“I’m feeling strong,” said Scott, who produced a 4.56 ERA in nine starts prior to his injury. “The rehab has been going great. I’ve been here with [rehabilitation coordinator] Josh [Bickel] and Kodai getting after it. So I’m taking each day as it comes.”