NEW YORK (AP) — Struggling pitcher Kodai Senga has been optioned to Triple-A Syracuse by the New York Mets, who also reinstated catcher Francisco Alvarez from the 10-day injured list on Friday.
The team announced the moves hours before the opener of a critical three-game series at Cincinnati. Brandon Sproat, one of New York's top pitching prospects, is expected to be called up from Syracuse to start the series finale Sunday in Senga's place.
Senga, an All-Star in 2023 and runner-up for NL Rookie of the Year, was the Mets' best starter early this season — but he's been largely ineffective since returning from a hamstring injury in mid-July. The 32-year-old right-hander is 7-6 with a 3.02 ERA in 22 outings overall.
“As we talked to Kodai throughout this, I think it became clear from both of our perspectives, this was the right thing to do for the team and player,” said David Stearns, the Mets’ president of baseball operations.
“Kodai has a very set routine. He feels very confident in his routine, and so a role transition at this point didn't feel like the right thing to do for either party,” Stearns explained. “And I think Kodai also recognizes that the results right now aren't what we are looking for, and so he wants to figure this out.”
Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said Senga will throw a couple of bullpens before he starts a game at Triple-A. That could come next weekend. What happens after that isn't clear yet.
“He wants to be here and wants to help us, but he understands where he is physically and where we are as a team,” Mendoza said in Cincinnati.
Because of language in his contract, the Mets needed Senga's consent to send him to the minors, a move he agreed to with the club trying to secure a playoff berth down the stretch.
New York began the day four games in front of San Francisco for the final National League wild card, and five ahead of Cincinnati.
Alvarez sprained the ulnar collateral ligament in his right thumb sliding headfirst into second base Aug. 17 against Seattle during the Major League Baseball Little League Classic in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
The injury will ultimately require surgery, but Alvarez plans to finish the season first. He began a minor league rehab assignment Aug. 27 and was hit by a pitch in his first game, causing a small fracture to his left pinkie.
After a few days off to allow the swelling to subside, Alvarez resumed playing for Syracuse to get ready for his return. He went 4 for 19 with a home run, a double and four RBIs in five games overall, playing 31 innings at catcher.
He was back behind the plate Friday night for the Mets, batting eighth.
Stearns said it was a tribute to Alvarez that he has tried to work his way back rather than opting for season-ending surgery.
“He came to us and said, `Whatever I need to do to keep playing this year is what I want to do,'” Stearns said. “And he's done exactly that.”
Luis Torrens and Hayden Senger filled in at catcher during Alvarez's absence. To open a roster spot Friday, the Mets optioned Senger to Triple-A.
Mendoza said decisions on Alvarez's playing time will be made day to day.
“I don't think he knows,” Mendoza said. “So nobody knows. We're talking about the ligament in the pinky finger. So there's a lot going on. But he feels fine. He feels really good. The reports from coaches in Triple-A (say) there's no hesitation with him swinging the bat, throwing the ball. So I'm just excited to have him back here.”
New York also announced that right-hander Wander Suero reported to the team. Suero was added to the bullpen after being claimed off waivers Thursday from the Atlanta Braves.
Also on Thursday, right-handed reliever Reed Garrett was sent on a rehab assignment to Double-A Binghamton.
AP freelance writer Mitch Stacy in Cincinnati contributed to this report.
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
New York Mets' Kodai Senga pauses before pitching during the first inning of a baseball game against the Miami Marlins, Sunday, Aug. 31, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Noah K. Murray)
New York Mets starting pitcher Kodai Senga sits in the dugout during the third inning of a baseball game against the Detroit Tigers, Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2025, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)
New York Mets pitcher Kodai Senga leaves a baseball game against the Miami Marlins during the fifth inning, Sunday, Aug. 31, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Noah K. Murray)
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs announced Monday they will relocate across the Kansas-Missouri border in a new domed stadium that will be ready by the 2031 season.
The move comes after a Kansas legislative committee approved a bonding package to support the move earlier in the day.
The Chiefs have played at Arrowhead Stadium on the Missouri side of Kansas City since 1972. Kansas City (Mo) Mayor Quinton Lucas and city officials planned to address the media later Monday.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas lawmakers approved a proposal Monday to help pay for a new stadium for the Kansas City Chiefs, which is expected to lure one of the NFL's iconic franchises across the state line from Missouri and replace popular but aging Arrowhead Stadium.
The Legislative Coordinating Council, which includes the state's top lawmakers, voted unanimously inside a packed room at the state capitol to allow for STAR bonds to be issued to cover up to 70% of the cost of a stadium and accompanying district. The bonds would be paid off with state sales and liquor tax revenues generated in a defined area around it.
The council meeting was attended by Chiefs owner Clark Hunt and team president Mark Donovan, along with other officials. They are expected to announce their intention to move later Monday from their longtime home in Kansas City, Missouri.
Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly has called a news conference for 3 p.m. local time “to present a major economic development announcement for the State of Kansas and the Kansas City Region.” She will be joined by legislators and Kansas City-area representatives.
The most likely landing place for the Chiefs is Kansas City, Kansas, near the Kansas Speedway and a retail and entertainment district known as The Legends. The area is also home to Children's Mercy Park, the home of MLS club Sporting Kansas City.
The move by the Chiefs would be a massive blow to Missouri lawmakers and Gov. Mike Kehoe, who had been working on their own package to prevent a second NFL franchise in a decade from leaving their borders. The Rams left St. Louis for Los Angeles in part due to their inability to secure funding to help replace The Dome at America’s Center.
Kehoe had backed a special legislative session in June to authorize bonds covering up to 50% of the cost of new or renovated stadiums, plus up to $50 million of tax credits for each stadium and unspecified aid from local governments.
Quinton Lucas, the mayor of Kansas City, Missouri, has been working to keep both the Chiefs and Kansas City Royals on the Missouri side of the state line. He has called a news conference for later Monday regarding “sports team developments.”
The Chiefs originally planned an $800 million renovation of Arrowhead Stadium in a joint effort with the Royals, who are similarly planning to build a new facility to replace Kauffman Stadium. The facilities sit a couple of hundred yards across the parking lot from each other, and both teams have leases with Jackson County, Missouri, that expire in January 2031.
Last year, Jackson County voters soundly defeated a local sales tax extension which would have helped to pay for those renovations to the football stadium while helping to fund a new ballpark for the Royals in downtown Kansas City, Missouri.
The Royals were not discussed by Kansas lawmakers Monday, but momentum appears to be building behind their own move across the state line. An affiliate of the club already has purchased the mortgage on a tract of land in Overland Park, Kansas.
Hunt has long said his preference was to renovate Arrowhead Stadium, which was beloved by his father and team founder, the late Lamar Hunt. It is considered one of the jewels of the NFL, alongside Lambeau Field in Green Bay, and is revered for its tailgating scene and home-field advantage; it currently holds the Guinness World Record for the loudest stadium roar.
This summer, Arrowhead Stadium will host six World Cup matches, including matches in the Round of 32 and quarterfinals.
Lamar Hunt established the Chiefs on August 14, 1959. The team was originally based in Dallas and known as the Texans, but Hunt was convinced by then-Kansas City Mayor H. Roe Bartle to relocate the team to Missouri with promises of tripling the team's season-ticket sales and expanding the seating capacity of Municipal Stadium.
In 1972, the team moved into Arrowhead Stadium at the Truman Sports Complex just east of downtown Kansas City.
The stadium has undergone numerous renovations through the years, allowing it to stay relevant in a changing sports landscape. But there has been little economic development around the stadium, the facility itself is starting to show wear and tear, and there is a limit to the number of luxury suites and amenities that the franchise can utilize to help drive revenue.
While the Hunt family has long loved Arrowhead Stadium, it has warmed in recent years to the idea of a replacement.
Not only would it solve many of the shortcomings of the Chiefs' longtime home, a new facility with a fixed or retractable roof would allow them to use it year-round. That would mean the potential for hosting more concerts and events, college football bowl games, the Final Four and perhaps one of Lamar Hunt's long-held dreams: a Super Bowl.
Hanna reported from Topeka. Skretta reported from Kansas City, Missouri.
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
Kansas Senate President Ty Masterson, R-Andover, confers with members of the Legislature's staff before a meeting of legislative leaders to review a proposal for issuing bonds to help the Kansas City Chiefs build a new stadium on the Kansas side of the Kansas City metropolitan area, Monday, Dec. 22, 2025, at the Statehouse in Topeka, Kan. (AP Photo/John Hanna)
Kansas City Chiefs Chairman and CEO Clark Hunt watches the start of a meeting of legislative leaders who had the power to decide whether the state issues bonds to help the Chiefs finance a new stadium on the Kansas side of the Kansas City metropolitan area, Monday, Dec. 22, 2025, at the Statehouse in Topeka, Kan. (AP Photo/John Hanna)
