It’s no secret that shifting Kodai Senga into the role of late-inning reliever was an idea born out of desperation, even exasperation, after he floundered as a starter this season. 

But that doesn’t make the move any less significant if it turns out the Mets strike gold here. Perhaps, anyway.

Even as something of a reluctant participant, Senga has made the transition look easy in what so far is a small sample, pitching a scoreless inning in each of five appearances over the last 12 days, the last three to lock down the ninth inning and earn a save in the absence of the injured Devin Williams.

From a quality-of-stuff point of view, it seems sustainable.

As one major league scout said, “He does profile best as a closer with that fastball/splitter combination. In short stints he can dominate with those two pitches.”

From a more all-encompassing point of view, the smooth transition so far has been a pleasant surprise for the Mets, considering Senga’s difficulties the last two seasons, both physically and seemingly mentally as well, in addition to his stated preference to remain a starter.

All of which makes it quite presumptive to expect that Senga will morph into something resembling peak Edwin Diaz with no issues along the way.

As a Mets person told me, “To say the feeling here is one of cautious optimism would be an understatement.”

To that point, it could be notable to see how Senga emerges physically from three consecutive days of purposeful throwing -- if you count him warming up with some intensity on Saturday for an appearance that became unnecessary when the Mets won in walk-off fashion, in addition to his saves on Friday and Sunday.

“He’s been a guy who has indicated that he can’t pitch to his own standard unless everything is aligned perfectly,” the Mets’ person said. “And as a starter he needed the extra day, so it’s only natural to wonder how he’ll deal with the grind of pitching as a reliever over an extended period of time, since part of that job is to pitch when you might be slightly fatigued, or at least not feeling at your best.”

With that in mind, there was no word Monday from manager Andy Green of any workload hangover for Senga, though that’s not something he would necessarily speak to, ever wary of tipping his hand to an opponent. 

As it is, after his busy weekend Senga was almost certainly unavailable for Monday night’s series opener with the San Diego Padres, so the next several days will bear watching.

In the meantime, Senga certainly has created some intrigue with his success so far. As the scout noted, he has the weapons to be a dominant closer, with the fastball he’s throwing 97-98 mph and his famous ghost fork, with which he struck out the last two Washington Nationals’ hitters on Sunday to close out a 4-3 win.

Could he be part of the late-inning mix next season? Could he even displace Williams as the closer?

Suffice it to say MLB scouts share the Mets’ internal caution, based not only on questions about Senga’s durability as a reliever but also his penchant for pitching at times as if intent on avoiding contact.

“Since he got hurt last year (the June hamstring injury) he seemed to lose some his willingness to attack with his fastball,” a second scout said. “He’s always had a tendency at times to nibble around the edges of the plate and try to trick guys with his breaking stuff but he really seemed to lose his confidence when he came back last year.

“I heard Mendy (Carlos Mendoza) became really frustrated with him, and you could see why. Senga would come out on the attack for an inning, and then for some reason he’d start going more finesse, throwing his off-speed breaking pitches, and he’d get himself into trouble and let innings get away from him.

“As a reliever, I’m sure they’re driving that point home with him, that he doesn’t need anything but the fastball and the split, and maybe a show-me slider every once in a while. If he can command his fastball it really sets up his ghost fork as his out pitch.”

A third scout offered a similar outlook.

“Does he have the stamina physically? That’s my biggest concern,” said the scout. “But also, can he stick to the script? Because as a starter he looked like he would overthink things at times and try to trick hitters, even when he had his good fastball.”

The good news for the Mets is that as a reliever Senga so far seems content to stick to using that fastball-splitter combination. In his two outings against the Nationals, 23 of the 25 pitches he threw were either fastballs or splitters, to go with two sweepers (one of which resulted in a hit-by-pitch).

It’s a good sign, but a small sample size.

In any case, if Senga’s success continues it offers a potentially important piece of next year’s puzzle, either as a set-up man for Williams or as a closer himself.

Or such success could make simply it easier for the Mets to trade him.

Last year, after all, they wanted to be done with Senga after he became so discombobulated that he essentially told them he couldn’t pitch late in the season even as they were desperately short on starters during their failed chase for a wild-card berth.

Two sources say David Stearns “tried hard” to trade Senga during the offseason and “came close” to completing deals with a few different teams, only to run into roadblocks on each occasion.

Maybe other teams don’t trust that Senga will stay healthy -- he has one year remaining on his five-year, $75 million contract, a signing that raised eyebrows among some baseball people at the time because of whispers about an elbow problem.

Also at that time some teams saw Senga as more of a reliever than a starter, and though he said recently he still sees himself as a starter, he also admitted he hasn’t pitched well enough to have an argument about being moved to the bullpen.

So we’ll see -- maybe Senga will be a revelation as a reliever, as the early results suggest. Maybe he’ll embrace the importance of the role. However, there’s obviously history here that looms as much a part of that equation, and thus any long-term evaluation, in the weeks and months ahead.

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the MLB. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Orioles fans and fans across the country.

In defiance of what anyone could have imagined for the Orioles when they traded away the players they did before the trade deadline, they have not only hung around in the wild card race but they have, at least at the time of this writing, managed to plop themselves into one of the wild card spots.

Had the O’s sank like many people, perhaps even Mike Elias, expected, then it would not much matter when their injured players worked their way back. Now, it might actually matter when players return from the injured list. Samuel Basallo has already started on a rehab assignment. Pleasant surprise infielder/outfielder Blaze Alexander might be not too far behind that.

There could also be help for the bullpen, though things are more vague about when either Félix Bautista or Ryan Helsley might make their way back. Without Tyler Wells in that mix, they are sure going to need some more dependable arms to appear. It is far too early to say whether a returned Bautista or Helsley would be a dependable arm, but there’s no harm for a fan in believing.

This week’s site poll is about which of these players you think will be the biggest help to the Orioles between now and season’s end. Results will be posted on Friday or Saturday, so make sure you let vote below:

It is going to be a little while yet before even Basallo, the closest of these guys to a return, is able to make it back. Hopefully the Orioles don’t do one of their patented 2026 “get your hopes up only to crush them even harder” stretches of games before the IL guys can start to make it back.

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The Royals will get some familiar faces back in the lineup tonight with the return of Vinnie Pasquantino and Maikel Garcia. Both players were activated from the Injured List today, but to make room for them, the Royals demoted infielder Josh Rojas and designated outfielder Starling Marte for assignment. The team also added left-hander Connor Thomas to the bullpen, and demoted Jose Cuas.

Marte signed a one-year, $1 million deal with the Royals in spring training as a veteran bat to bolster the outfield. The 37-year-old mostly played against lefties, appearing in 59 games, hitting .242/.298/.314 with two home runs in 168 plate appearances.

Pasquantino has been out three weeks after reinjuring his hand. It has been a rough year for the 28-year-old. He has battled hand injuries and is batting just .232/.318/.345 with just six home runs in 79 games. Jac Caglianone has been filling in at first base and has seen his bat take off. He moves back to right field tonight, with Pasquantino back at first base.

Garcia has been out since late June with a muscle strain in his hand. He was set to return in late July, but had a setback in his rehab. His numbers are also down from last year, although he has been near league-average with a line of .261/.320/.373, although with just five steals in 69 games. Garcia is in the lineup tonight hitting fourth, with Pasquantino hitting fifth.

Connor Thomas was claimed off waivers from the Athletics earlier this month, and the Royals are the fifth organization he has played for. The 28-year-old lefty appeared in two games with the Brewers last year, and two with the Braves this year. He has a 2.40 ERA in 41.1 innings of relief in the minors this season. With Daniel Lynch IV pitching in the rotation, Thomas is the only lefty in the bullpen.

In a meeting of two pitchers who began their careers in the AL East, Blake Snell leads the Dodgers against Tomoyuki Sugano and the Rockies. This visit to Coors Field comes at an opportune time for a struggling offense, having just lost three out of four against the Brewers at home. The Dodgers averaged a terrible 2.5 runs per game, with the spotlight on Kyle Tucker’s hitless homestand, but between Brewers pitching and Rockies pitching, one could fill nearly as large a gap as you’ll find in baseball.

It’s only fitting that after speaking out on the challenges he faced in a rehab outing in Salt Lake City, having difficulty in making the ball move as he intended, Snell makes his first road start in Coors Field. Weirdly—despite having played in the National League West for the last six years—Snell hasn’t made a start in Colorado since 2023, when he went against his poor track record in Coors to toss a magnificent outing for the Padres, striking out 12 in seven innings and allowing just one run.

While pitching in Colorado has been uncommon for Snell recently, second-year starter Tomoyuki Sugano wants to avoid a third loss in as many starts versus the Dodgers, currently in his best form of the season. Sugano is on a run of five starts without allowing more than three earned runs—three of them at home—having led Colorado to a win in four of them. Based on what they paid for him, committing a little over $5 million, Sugano has been a terrific signing, the Rockies’ best starting pitcher on the season by a wide margin with a 110 ERA+.

Monday’s game info

• Teams: Dodgers at Rockies
• Ballpark: Coors Field, Denver
• Start time: 5:40 p.m.
• TV: SportsNet LA
• Radio: AM 570 (English), KTNQ 1020 AM (Spanish)

The Yankees have enjoyed one of the best pitching runs I can remember this team providing, each and every starter taking their turn in the rotation and delivering while the bullpen holds their own in the backend of games. Unfortunately, it has coincided with one of the most futile offensive performances I can remember from a Yankees team, rivaling the days of the 2013-2014 squads that had no business winning as many games as they ultimately did. Unlike them this year’s Yanks are meant to be contenders, and still can be if they get more outings like Wednesday’s 10-run outburst or even the four runs they put up on Sunday with an extra frame.

Reinforcements are finally beginning to show up on the horizon, Cody Bellinger set to start his rehab assignment later this week. Giancarlo Stanton doesn’t have a definitive timeline yet, but he appears to be the second-closest starter while Aaron Judge remains in limbo. Can Bellinger return back at full strength, or will he continue his summer struggles? Will the deadline additions start to heat up, or have they added to the collective struggles on offense? Is Ben Rice about to turn a corner after his big two-run blast? If you have questions like these, or anything else on your mind, send ‘em in for a chance to be featured in our Yankees mailbag.

Answers will run on Friday afternoon. All questions received by the night of August 20th will be considered. You can leave your submissions in the comment section below or by e-mail to pinstripealleyblog [at] gmail [dot] com.

Since the All-Star Break, Bryson Stott has been one of the better hitters in the game. His 1.6 fWAR is third in the game amongst hitters, behind only Pete Crow-Armstrong and Jackson Merrill, his 163 wRC+ tenth among all qualified hitters during that same time. It has made his overall numbers look much better on the season and brought about another round of an interesting question:

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The chances of teams offering extensions prior to a CBA coming together are probably nil as teams want to see what the financial landscape of the future looks like, yet locking up Stott could also offer a modicum of financial stability for that future. Getting into comparisons would be foolhardy as there aren’t really many comps to what Stott can offer, but dig hard enough and you could probably find one.

We’ll check back on the results later in the week.

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the MLB. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Phillies fans and fans across the country.

Louisville Bats 5, Toledo Mud Hens 1 (box)

Toledo and Louisville tied the series 3-3 with Sunday’s result.

Dylan File wasn’t too sharp, allowing four runs on six hits and a walk. The big swing — a three-run homer — came in the third from Juan Brito. Louisville took a 3-0 lead and never looked back. The Bats tacked on insurance runs in the fourth and fifth, the latter coming on a solo home run off Yilber Diaz in relief.

Diaz wasn’t great either. He walked a pair in the sixth and needed Jack Little to get out of the inning. Little worked through the seventh, navigating his way around a double and a walk. Ricky Vanasco was the only Toledo arm to not allow a base hit, but he did walk the leadoff man in the ninth. A 4-6-3 double play allowed him to face the minimum, however.

The Mud Hens didn’t do a ton at the plate, mustering just five hits on the day. Zebby Zavala was the only one with multiple hits, including his first double with the team. Zavala has slashed .467/.619/.733 over six games with Toledo. He’s also walked (5) nearly as much as he’s struck out (6).

Jace Jung delivered the only run of the game for the Hens. Jung doubled in Jack Goodman in the fifth. A better left fielder would have tracked this one down, but it was still a well-struck ball.

A double from #2 puts us on the board! pic.twitter.com/MPx8TEiXpW

— Toledo Mud Hens (@MudHens) August 16, 2026

Zavala: 2-4, 2B (1), K

Jung: 1-4, 2B (18), RBI, K

File (L, 6-8): 4.0 IP, 4 ER, 6 H, BB, 3 K, HR

Coming Up Next: The Mud Hens host the Iowa Cubs next week, starting Tuesday at 6:35 p.m. ET.

Erie SeaWolves 5, Hartford Yard Goats 4 (box)

It was a 5-1 week for Erie, but things got hairy in the final inning of the series on Sunday. Four of the nine runs scored in this one came in the ninth, and the difference ended up being an error by the Yard Goats.

Kenny Serwa was excellent, allowing just one run on two hits and three walks over seven innings. He only had two strikeouts, but knuckleballers are going to have those soft-contact kind of days. Erie built up a 4-0 lead for him before Hartford finally got on the board in the seventh.

Thayron Liranzo got the scoring started for the SeaWolves in the fourth with a solo home run, his 13th of the year. Seth Stephenson and Zyhir Hope both singled in runs in the fifth to put Erie ahead by four.

Zyhir Hope works an 8-pitch AB and then rips a 2-run single up the middle to put Erie up 4-0. pic.twitter.com/JQqTqGtxnF

— Tigers ML Report (@tigersMLreport) August 16, 2026

Colin Fields tried to close out the final two innings, but he ran into trouble in the ninth. A leadoff walk and a single turned dangerous after a wild pitch moved both runners into scoring position.

Which base the runners were on ended up being inconsequential, however, when Cole Messina hit a three-run homer to make it a one-run game. Fortunately, Patrick Lee scored in the top of the ninth on a bobbled grounder by the second baseman.

Tyler Owens took over for Field and got the final two outs, ending it on a strikeout.

Hope: 1-4, R, 2 RBI, BB, 2 K

Liranzo: 1-5, HR (13), R, RBI, 2 K

Serwa (W, 6-8): 7.0 IP, ER, 2 H, 3 BB, 2 K

Coming Up Next: The SeaWolves host the New Hampshire Fisher Cats next week, starting Tuesday at 6:05 p.m. ET.

West Michigan Whitecaps 12, Lansing Lugnuts 6 (box)

West Michigan also took the series 5-1, and it ended with a 12-run barrage.

The Whitecaps hit four homers in this one, including a pair in the first. Jackson Strong and Bryce Rainer opened the game going back-to-back. It’s Rainer’s third game in a row going deep. The kid is on fire once again.

Just gonna post the first two pitches of the game for… reasons ✌️

🎙️ @ThatDanHastypic.twitter.com/03tklnNXJv

— West Michigan Whitecaps (@wmwhitecaps) August 16, 2026

Clayton Campbell also hit a solo shot in the fourth, and he drove in the first two of eight runs in the fifth.

Somebody brough Soup to the (home run) party!

🎙️ @wangler_nathanpic.twitter.com/BXBLAXc9yC

— West Michigan Whitecaps (@wmwhitecaps) August 16, 2026

After Campbell’s two-run single, Lansing walked three straight batters, resulting in two more runs. Then, Nolan McCarthy hit a grand slam to make it 11-0. The best part about this rally is that it all came with two outs on the board. Sure, it took a bit of a meltdown from the Lugnuts’ pitching staff, but one mistake stops the big inning from happening completely.

A McCARTHY McSLAM!

🎙️ @wangler_nathanpic.twitter.com/R5bKjWKsRC

— West Michigan Whitecaps (@wmwhitecaps) August 16, 2026

Rainer notched another RBI with a single in the seventh, getting West Michigan to a clean dozen runs. Connor Fenlong comfortably left the game after six innings of shutout ball. Fenlong struck out six and allowed just three hits and one walk.

Bryce Rainer bounces an RBI single through the infield to put the Whitecaps up 12-0. pic.twitter.com/PE9Sezcvtk

— Tigers ML Report (@tigersMLreport) August 16, 2026

Moises Rodriguez got the seventh. He gave up a leadoff single but induced a double play to stop Lansing from scoring. He walked the next batter and gave up a single, which definitely would have resulted in a run, before getting the third out.

Rodriguez couldn’t make magic happen two innings in a row, though. A leadoff double ended up scoring in the eighth. Jalen Evans took over for Rodriguez with a man on second and one out, but he gave up a two-run homer that put a run on both of their records.

Evans came back out for the ninth, but he loaded the bases with just one out. Logan Berrier had to close it out, but not before allowing all three runners to score on back-to-back hits. At least, the Whitecaps had a big enough cushion that six runs over the final two frames didn’t really matter.

Rainer: 2-4, HR (13), 2 R, 2 RBI, BB, K

Campbell: 2-4, HR (8), 2 R, 3 RBI, BB

McCarthy: 2-4, HR (2), 2 R, 4 RBI

Fenlong (W, 3-1): 6.0 IP, 0 R, 3 H, BB, 6 K

Coming Up Next: The Whitecaps are in South Bend next week, starting Tuesday at 7:05 p.m. ET.

Lakeland Flying Tigers 4, Bradenton Marauders 1 (box)

The Flying Tigers secured a 4-2 series win on Sunday, beating Bradenton comfortably in the finale. Timely hitting and good pitching led the way.

Grayson Grinsell got the start, and he delivered four innings of one-hit ball for Lakeland. Grinsell has been solid this month, allowing just two runs on four hits over nine innings. His walks are a bit high at nine, but he’s still struck out 12.

Carlos Rodriguez made his third appearance — and second of the week — for Lakeland in relief of Grinsell. He worked a 1-2-3 fifth inning with a strikeout.

Xiomer Guacache was next out of the bullpen. He gave three innings of one-hit ball, striking out three and walking as many. Frenny Grant made his second appearance of the week in the ninth, but he couldn’t finish off the shutout. A walk and a couple of singles got Bradenton on the board, but Grant had four runs to work with.

Two of those four runs came early for Lakeland. Javier Osorio doubled in Jesus Pinto in the second, and Jordan Yost brought Osorio around right after.

Make it 2-0 Lakeland after Jordan Yost hits a dribbler in the right spot and Javier Osorio speeds home from 2nd. @AaronArnstein on the call. pic.twitter.com/Xxn6No9jM9

— Tigers ML Report (@tigersMLreport) August 16, 2026

Michael Oliveto scored an insurance run in the sixth, leading off the inning with a double and coming home on a Nick Dumesnil single. Pinto added the fourth run in the eighth, singling with Dumesnil on base.

Jesus Pinto pokes an RBI single to right to score Nick Dumesnil and put Lakeland up 4-0. pic.twitter.com/kECbtFbyKI

— Tigers ML Report (@tigersMLreport) August 16, 2026

Yost: 2-4, RBI

Oliveto: 2-4, 2 2B (4), R, K

Grinsell: 4.0 IP, 0 R, H, 2 BB, 5 K

Coming Up Next: The Flying Tigers are in St. Lucie next week, starting Tuesday at 6:10 p.m. ET.

Astros fans, let me start by saying I sincerely hope I’m wrong.

Maybe I’m overreacting to one series. Maybe losing two out of three to the Mariners was nothing more than a disappointing weekend against a division rival.

But I can’t shake the feeling that I’ve seen this movie before.

As impressive as the Astros have been in fighting their way out of another enormous early-season hole and climbing all the way back into first place, watching this weekend’s series against Seattle gave me some of the same uncomfortable vibes I had a year ago.

The Astros spent so much energy digging themselves out of trouble that you have to wonder whether they have enough left in the tank to finish the job.

That’s what happened last season.

Houston fought, scratched and clawed its way back into contention and eventually put itself in position to control its own destiny. But after expending so much energy just getting there, the Astros couldn’t finish the job. They ran out of gas down the stretch and ultimately fell short of the postseason.

Could we be watching it happen again?

That’s the concern.

Losing two of three to Seattle isn’t a disaster by itself. The games were competitive, the series was close, and nobody should be hitting the panic button because of one weekend in August.

It’s what we’re seeing underneath those losses that’s troubling.

The bullpen suddenly looks shaky.

Starting pitchers who performed well for much of the season aren’t consistently pitching deep into games or commanding the strike zone the way they did earlier in the year. That puts additional pressure on a bullpen that has already shown signs of vulnerability.

One problem starts feeding another.

Then there’s the offense.

Yordan Alvarez may very well be on his way to winning the American League MVP award, and we’ve watched him put this offense on his back repeatedly throughout the season.

But opponents aren’t stupid.

They know what Yordan can do, and increasingly they’re deciding they’re simply not going to allow him to beat them. They’ll pitch around him, take their chances with the hitters behind him and force somebody else in the Astros lineup to make them pay.

That’s where the problems begin.

Jeremy Peña has cooled off after playing at an incredibly high level. Isaac Paredes has certainly produced, but Houston needs more consistency from him. Christian Walker had a strong first half but has fallen off considerably.

And then there’s the outfield.

How many different ways can we describe the same problem?

It’s been a revolving door of mediocrity for much of the season, with the Astros seemingly waiting for somebody, anybody, to get hot and take control of an everyday job.

That hasn’t happened.

The trade for Daulton Varsho was supposed to help solve the problem, but so far it hasn’t produced anything close to the return Houston needs after giving up a starting pitcher like Spencer Arrighetti, who came with several additional years of team control.

There’s still time for Varsho to turn things around and make an impact.

But the Astros don’t have unlimited time.

That’s what makes the next couple of series so important.

Houston has two very winnable series coming up. This is an opportunity to create some separation in the division, rebuild momentum and perhaps put some of these concerns to rest.

It’s also an opportunity to prove this team has learned from what happened a year ago.

Because we’ve seen the other version of the Astros, too.

We’ve watched them play down to the level of their competition far too often. Instead of taking care of teams they’re supposed to beat, they’ve dropped series—and sometimes gotten swept—by clubs like the Angels and Athletics.

Those are the losses that come back to haunt you in September.

At this point in the season, you can’t give games away.

The Astros have already done the hard part.

They survived the terrible start. They survived the injuries. They survived stretches where it looked like the season might be slipping away. They fought all the way back and put themselves in first place.

Now they have to finish.

That’s why this weekend against Seattle bothered me more than perhaps it should have.

It wasn’t simply losing two out of three.

It was the feeling that came with it.

The feeling that the pitching isn’t quite as sharp. The bullpen isn’t quite as reliable. The offense is leaning too heavily on Yordan Alvarez, and too many other hitters aren’t producing consistently enough around him.

It felt familiar.

Maybe too familiar.

The good news is the Astros have plenty of time to prove that feeling wrong.

The next two series provide the perfect opportunity.

Beat the teams you’re supposed to beat. Create some distance in the division. Take pressure off yourselves heading into September and prove that all the energy spent climbing back into this race hasn’t emptied the tank.

I’ll be watching closely this week with my fingers crossed, hoping this team puts my concerns to rest.

Because after everything the Astros have overcome this season, it would be incredibly disappointing to watch them climb all the way back to the top only to stumble again before reaching the finish line.

So Astros fans, where are you right now?

Are you confident this team has enough left to win the division and get back to playoff baseball?

Or did this weekend against Seattle leave you with that same uneasy feeling that we’ve seen this story before?