Mets ace Kodai Senga throws off mound as he works toward potential return

Kodai Senga took another positive step in his race against the clock to return to the mound before the end of the regular season.

The Mets right-hander threw about 25 pitches off a mound at Citi Field on Wednesday in his first bullpen session since he landed on the injured list on July 27.

“Looks good, the way the ball was coming out, it was good to see him in full [uniform] and actually letting it go,” Carlos Mendoza said. “Good step today for sure.”

The manager said he is pretty sure the righty-hander will “continue to throw bullpens” and it will be a few of those before the club considers the next step.

Senga, who landed on the IL in July with a left calf strain that he suffered while making his first start of the season, expressed some optimism earlier this week that he will be able to make it back in action “with about five games left in the season.”

Part of the process has been shifting his rehab from his calf to building up arm strength, and the bullpen session on Wednesday is a sign he is moving in that direction.

Senga said on Monday –  after playing catch on the mound – that he felt “great” and that “everything is going pretty smoothly” during his rehab.

The right-hander said that it is unrealistic for him to pitch five or six innings, and is open to being used out of the bullpen or an opener. “I just want to be ready for as many innings as possible for the team,” he said, speaking through an interpreter, adding he is “open to anything.”

And the Mets are also open to getting their ace back on the mound in any capacity.

President of baseball operations David Stearns said on Tuesday that the first step will be to get the 31-year-old “to a place where we feel like he’s healthy enough to compete at the major league level.”

“And then we’ll tackle the role,” he continued. “Whether it’s bullpen, whether it’s starter, whether it’s couple innings at the front of the game. If we’re making those decisions I’m really happy to be making those decisions because that means we have a healthy Kodai Senga.”

Senga made his long-awaited debut in late July after dealing with injuries beginning in spring training and a stop-start rehab process. He pitched well, surrendering two runs on two hits and a walk over 5.1 innings with nine strikeouts before sustaining the calf strain that derailed his return.