Could the New York Mets get their ace back sooner than expected?

With only five weeks left of the regular season, the New York Mets star is running out of time to return.

According to Tim Britton of The Athletic, the Mets “think there's a chance” that Kodai Senga could potentially pitch in one of the final five games of the regular season against the Atlanta Braves and Milwaukee Brewers.

Senga is on the mend after straining his calf in his first start of the year on July 26. It's been a frustrating sophomore season for Senga, who missed the first four months of the 2024 season with a right shoulder capsule strain and later triceps inflammation. His long-awaited return was cut short by a severe left calf strain that kept him out of action for the last month.

David Stearns, Mets president of baseball operations, announced last Friday that Senga could begin pitching from a standing position in the next week to 10 days.

“He's still in the early stages of recovery,” Stearns told reporters. “The good news is he can keep his arm moving because it's a lower-body injury, but we haven't done any upright throws yet. We're still at immobilized throwing. So I can't answer the question of his likelihood for October. We'll have to get him upright and throw, see how his arm responds, and then we'll have a better idea of ​​where that goes.”

While Stearns declined to give a timetable for his star pitcher, according to The Athletic, Senga could potentially return in the final week of the season if the Mets are still in the playoff race and his rehab checks go well.

This is promising news after Mets manager Carlos Mendoza initially gave a ten-week time frame at the time of Senga's injury and indicated that the star would likely be out for the regular season.

Having Senga in the starting lineup this week in one of the key games against Atlanta or Milwaukee was a huge morale boost for the Mets. Fans may remember that Senga only started once this year, when he played against the Braves in a dominant game at Citi Field, striking out nine batters and allowing two runs in 5.1 innings.

While the possibility of Senga's return is certainly exciting, the Mets still have a lot of work to do before then. The team is still 1.5 games behind the Braves for the final NL wild-card spot. With two key matchups against the Phillies in September and year-end games against the Braves and Brewers, the margin for error is slim.

Senga's potential return to the regular season should be considered questionable unless everything goes perfectly. If the Mets are out of the playoff race by then, the team will almost certainly sit him out for the season and get him fit for 2025.

However, if Senga manages to return, having him in the rotation in October would be a huge advantage if the team reaches the postseason.