Mets Notes: Jesse Winker shut down; no decision yet on Sean Manaea, Kodai Senga rotation roles

Manager Carlos Mendoza hit on several topics facing the Mets ahead of Tuesday night’s game in Detroit against the Tigers.

Jesse Winker shut down

The Mets have shut down DH Jesse Winker from baseball activities, Mendoza announced.

Winker, who has been dealing with a back issue that landed him on the IL in early July, began a rehab assignment with Low-A St. Lucie last week. But that has been cut short.

“He’s back in New York, and he’s shut down from baseball activities. Continues to feel symptoms in the lower back,” the manager said. “He’s scheduled to see a doctor [Wednesday] and we’ll go from there.”

With under four weeks remaining, Mendoza added that they are “probably running out of time” to get the veteran bat back in the lineup before the season’s end.

“We gotta get him right. He plays a game or two, and he continues to feel discomfort. We have to make sure we’re not missing anything,” he said.

This injury has been a big blow for the Mets, who have appeared to be a left-handed bat light off the bench at times. 

“When we signed him, the role for him was to have that left-handed bat as a DH, occasionally in the outfield, and the pinch-hitting off the bench,” Mendoza said. “We miss that bat. Jared Young has gotten some opportunities; he’s back here on the roster. Guys will continue to step up and get opportunities. 

“At this point, it sucks for Wink, but we gotta get him right. We have to keep going here.”

Winker played just two games in July after he missed two months with an oblique strain before the back injury landed him on the shelf. He has played just 26 games this season, with 16 hits in 70 at-bats (.229) with five doubles, two triples, and a home run for a .709 OPS.

(Young was recalled from Triple-A Syracuse earlier on Tuesday after outfielder Tyrone Taylor was placed on the IL with a left hamstring strain.)

Rotation remains in flux

The Mets' rotation remains in flux, with Nolan McLean getting the ball on Tuesday and Clay Holmes in Wednesday’s series finale against the Tiges. But after that? The Mets are still having discussions about what to do, Mendoza said.

“Gotta get through this series first, off day on Thursday, ” the skipper said, adding that it could be David Peterson to get the start on Friday’s series opener in Cincinnati, and there is “a good chance” Jonah Tong starts on Saturday. “That’s what we got so far.”

Amid the recent struggles from Sean Manaea and Kodai Senga and whether they will remain in the rotation, Mendoza said, “They are until they’re not.”

“We haven't made any decisions yet, we’re still having discussions,” he continued. “We’re going to be flexible and we gonna take advantage of off days and continue to have discussions. But as of right now, we haven’t made any decisions yet.”

Jose Siri needs more game time

Despite Taylor landing on the IL, Mendoza said that doesn’t mean Jose Siri will be rushed during his rehab assignment from a broken bone in his leg sustained in early April.

“He’s gotta continue to play, we gotta continue to build him up and build up volume and get him used to playing back-to-back and full games and things like that,” the skipper said. “He’s gotta go through the progression and then we have a decision there.”

Siri appeared in three games with St. Lucie, collecting three hits in six at-bats, before he made the jump to Triple-A, where he is in the lineup as the DH on Tuesday night.