NEW YORK -- If the losses weren't enough, the injuries keep accumulating for the New York Mets, too.
The team placed right-hander Kodai Senga on the injured list Tuesday afternoon with lumbar spine inflammation. Shortly thereafter, manager Carlos Mendoza, whose job security has been the subject of rampant speculation recently, revealed two other important contributors had ailments recently surface: Juan Soto is dealing with forearm tightness that has delayed his return to the outfield and Luis Robert Jr. wasn't in the Mets' lineup Tuesday against the Washington Nationals because of lower back tightness.
The Mets, losers of 15 of their last 17 games, are already without shortstop Francisco Lindor, who is in a walking boot as he begins his recovery from a calf injury, for an unknown extended period, and first baseman Jorge Polanco, who was slowed by an Achilles injury before landing on the injured list with a bruised right wrist.
"Nobody's going to feel sorry for us," Mendoza said. "But we got to keep going. We're getting hit hard. It's adversity. But we got to keep going. That's the bottom line."
Mendoza said Soto reported forearm discomfort to the Mets' training staff after throwing Friday. He played catch to 60 feet Sunday and received treatment and played catch Monday. An MRI on Tuesday did not reveal any structural issues. He later played catch again at Citi Field during pregame workouts.
The Mets had planned to start him in left field for the first time since coming off the injury last Wednesday sooner. Instead, he's in Tuesday's lineup as the designated hitter, batting second, for the sixth straight game.
"He's going to continue to throw and hopefully he could play the outfield here in the next few days," Mendoza said. "But it doesn't bother him to swing or anything like that. But we're dealing with that too."
Robert, according to Mendoza, was limited to one game in Sunday's doubleheader against the Colorado Rockies because of his back pain. He hasn't undergone testing, but Mendoza said that remains on the table.
"They think they can, in the next couple of days, just treat it," Mendoza said. "But we'll see. Obviously, if in the next 48 hours he doesn't get better, we'll have to move forward."
Senga, 33, landed on the injured list after undergoing an MRI on Monday. Mendoza said the exam revealed inflammation, specifically around the L4 and L5 vertebrae. Senga received an epidural and will not throw for the next week to 10 days.
The injury extends a rough stretch for Senga, who did not complete four innings over his last three starts. On Sunday, he surrendered three runs over just 2â…” innings against the Rockies, exiting with a ghastly 9.00 ERA over 20 innings this season. Christian Scott was called up from Triple-A Syracuse to take his place in the rotation. He will start Friday against the Angels.
