Morning Briefing: Senga, Manaea Could Return Before All-Star Break

Good morning, Mets fans!

Before yesterday’s rubber match against the Milwaukee Brewers, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza provided updates on pitchers Kodai Senga and Sean Manaea.

Mendoza said the team is aiming to have Manaea back in the majors for their final game before the All-Star break. Meanwhile, according to Jorge Castillo of ESPN, Senga is expected to begin a rehab assignment on either Saturday or Sunday and could also return to the Mets before the break.

Now onto the morning briefing!

Latest Mets News

The Mets finally won their first series in three weeks with a tight 3-2 victory over the Brewers on Thursday night. Brandon Nimmo stayed hot at the plate, launching a solo homer in the second inning. In the sixth, Starling Marte and Francisco Lindor singled ahead of Juan Soto’s go-ahead RBI single, followed by a Pete Alonso double that brought home the eventual winning run. For more on the win, check out our recap.

Single-A St. Lucie Mets pitcher Wellington Aracena has been named the Florida State League Pitcher of the Month for June. The 20-year-old right-hander posted a 1.13 ERA over 24 innings across five appearances, allowing just eight hits and striking out 29 hitters with a 0.79 WHIP. Highlighting his month was a dominant outing on June 21, when he threw five no-hit innings with eight strikeouts against Palm Beach, earning him FSL Pitcher of the Week honors. Signed by the Mets in 2022 out of the Dominican Republic, Aracena is the second St. Lucie player to win a monthly award this season, joining A.J. Ewing (April).

Jonah Tong was named Eastern League Pitcher of the Month for June, becoming the first player in Binghamton Rumble Ponies (Mets Double-A Affiliate) history to win the award in back-to-back months. The 22-year-old posted a 0.93 ERA and 43 strikeouts in 29 innings across five starts in June, following a dominant May. Through 14 starts, Tong owns a 1.73 ERA with 115 strikeouts and a .137 opponent batting average.

Latest MLB News

Clayton Kershaw became the 20th pitcher in MLB history to record 3,000 career strikeouts, reaching the milestone with a called strikeout of Vinny Capra in the sixth inning Wednesday night at Dodger Stadium. The milestone came on Kershaw’s 100th pitch of the night, which was a backdoor slider.

Cleveland Guardians pitcher Luis Ortiz has been placed on paid leave amid an MLB investigation into gambling, according to Ken Rosenthal and Zack Meisel of The Athletic. A betting-integrity firm flagged two pitches from Ortiz, one on June 15 and another on June 27, due to suspicious betting activity tied to his first pitch in each inning. The Guardians stated that Ortiz was placed on leave by MLB in agreement with the Players Association due to an ongoing investigation and that they will not comment further while respecting the league’s confidential process.

Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy is expected to miss about six weeks after suffering a bone bruise in his left knee, though an MRI revealed no structural damage. The injury occurred during Wednesday night’s game when Muncy collided with White Sox outfielder Michael A. Taylor while applying a tag on a steal attempt. Muncy had to be helped off the field and was unable to put weight on the leg. Despite the setback, Muncy expressed relief that he’ll return later this season, telling David Vassegh of 570 AM LA that he’s thankful the injury isn’t season-ending.

MLB Network recorded its best June viewership for out-of-market games since 2019, averaging 233,000 viewers across more than 40 broadcasts, according to Maury Brown of Forbes. The network also posted its top numbers in the 18–34 demographic since 2018 and its best primetime average since August 2017, with 274,000 viewers. The most-watched game of the month was Yankees vs. Royals on June 11, drawing 551,000 viewers, ranking 12th all-time on MLB Network. The highest-rated late-night game came on June 16, when Shohei Ohtani made his 2025 pitching debut, with Padres vs. Dodgers averaging 411,000 viewers and peaking at 603,000.

Latest on MMO

In this Mets Minors preview, David Melendi provides updates on Manaea’s start and Jesse Winker’s home run during their respective rehab assignments.

On This Date In Mets History

Born On This Date: Jared Hughes (1985), José Oquendo (1963)

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