West Palm Beach, Fla. – As the Mets keep their fingers crossed for Jose Quintana, they have a different finger concern to worry about.
The club said Kodai Senga was “scratched from Saturday’s start against the Nationals at the ballpark at Palm Beaches due to discomfort at the base of his right index finger.”
Senga, a righty, was ready to undergo imaging.
The Japanese star made his spring and stateside debut on Sunday, when he was wild early but recovered and allowed one run over two innings.
Senga threw his awkward ghost forkball twice, once for a strikeout, and cited the pitch clock as a nuisance.
He felt he was rushing, so more experience with the timer before the season starts would be helpful.
It is unclear how long Senga will be sidelined.
Throwing once a week (but usually throwing more pitches) last year, he pitched in 23 games in the Japan Pacific League, posting a 1.89 ERA in 148 innings.
The development with Senga — who was signed to a five-year, $75 million contract this offseason — was the second injury the Mets announced Saturday.
Lefty reliever Brooks Raleigh sustained a low-grade hamstring strain while playing with Team USA.
As of Saturday afternoon, the Mets had still not formally announced the severity of Quintana’s injury.
The Mets said the veteran starter is out indefinitely because he sustained a “minor stress fracture” in his left fifth rib.
They sent him to New York on Monday for further tests.
“We’re not there yet,” manager Buck Showalter said of Quintana on Friday night. “We’re still gathering all the information and getting some different things back. We will get through this. … We’re still trying to make some assessments.”
David Peterson has been seen as the front-runner for a rotation spot if Quintana is not ready for the first weeks of the season.
If Senga is also pushed back, Tyler Magill will most likely be the fill-in.
