New report reveals big change to New York Mets lineup for Game 3 of NLCS, when Kodai Senga will return in series

New York Mets manager Carlos Mendoza dropped some major news today about a big change to the lineup for Game 3 of the NLCS.

After being soundly thrashed during Game 1 of the NLCS on Sunday by a score of 9-0, the Mets roared back with a vengeance on Monday. In Game 2 the team got off to a fast start and had a 6-0 lead by the end of the second inning. They would go on to win 7-3 and take back home-field advantage in their best-of-seven series.

However, despite the strong showing in Game 2, Carlos Mendoza is targeting a key change to the batting order for Game 3. During his presser with the media on Tuesday, the skipper revealed “There’s a good chance” he will switch Jesse Winker out of the DH spot and replace him with JD Martinez for Wednesday’s game.

Winker has been solid during the postseason. Nevertheless, Martinez is a borderline hall-of-famer with a good amount of playoff experience. Just like he has done all season, Mendoza may be going with feel here and believes in switching back to the six-time All-Star who has struggled in 2024.

Kodai Senga likely to return to the mound for New York Mets in Game 5

In Game 1 of their Divisional and Championship Series, the Mets have gone with a bullpen approach led by Kodai Senga. It worked out against the Phillies. However, Senga and David Peterson were smacked around by the Dodgers over the weekend.

On Tuesday, Mendoza confirmed that veteran Jose Quintana would get the ball in Game 4 of the NLCS. After a rough start on Sunday, there are certainly some who wonder if Senga will get the ball again in this series. Along with the Quintana news, MLB.com Mets reporter Anthony DiComo claimed that going to Senga in Game 5 was the “logical” option for the team.

If he can pitch better, it isn’t out of the realm of possibility that the Japanese ace could go further in the game and potentially pitch into the fourth or fifth inning in Game 5.