In this Mets season, which is quickly nearing the realm of planning toward 2024 and beyond, Kodai Senga bears watching. 

The Japanese right-hander is part of the organization’s present and future, the brightest spot in a rotation that at minimum will likely need retooling next season.

Here is what the Mets need to discover between now and then: Is Senga a potential ace in the making? 

If the Mets can answer such a question it would help determine to what level they need to scour the market for arms this winter. 

Senga, who was scheduled to pitch Saturday night against the Dodgers at Citi Field, has shown he possesses top-of-the-rotation stuff.

But there have also been enough outings during which opponents have been disciplined enough to avoid swinging at the “ghost fork,” leading Senga’s pitch count to skyrocket, with walks, and turning him into a five-inning pitcher. 

His impressive numbers have included Senga’s 113 strikeouts through his first 16 starts, which ranked behind only Dwight Gooden, Matt Harvey and Nolan Ryan among Mets pitchers to begin a career.

“Anybody who can strike guys out at the rate he can, that is going to play,” reliever Adam Ottavino said. “It’s been awesome to watch and he’s a hard worker.

“I really believe in him.” 

Just the fact Senga was selected to the NL All-Star team as a replacement — he traveled to Seattle, but declined to pitch in the game so he could focus on the second half of the season — tells you how he is viewed throughout MLB. 

Of all the multi-year contracts the Mets gave to players last winter, Senga’s five-year deal worth $75 million has the potential to become the biggest bargain. 

There is little chance of Justin Verlander’s two-year contract worth $86.6 million earning that distinction.

Brandon Nimmo has played solidly after receiving an eight-year deal for $162 million, but it’s hard to put that contract in the potential “bargain” category at this point.

And who knows about Edwin Diaz and Jose Quintana, neither of whom has thrown a pitch for the team after receiving deals worth $102 million and $26 million, respectively? 

The misconception about Senga is that he’s soft. That perception has been created by the manner in which team officials have handled him, building in extra days of rest between his starts.

If it were up to Senga, he would be pitching every fifth day, but the organization has remained resolute to “save him from himself,” as one club official put it, until it’s deemed appropriate to pitch him on normal rest. 

Verlander and Max Scherzer began the season as the Mets’ co-aces, but both have pitched like middle-of-the-rotation starters, which helps explain why the team began Saturday seven games below .500.

The Mets aren’t going to have a shot at reaching the playoffs this season unless both Verlander and Scherzer get on a roll.

Beyond that, there is the question of how they will fit for next season in the likely event both remain Mets at the trade deadline.

In Scherzer’s case, there is also a player option for next season worth $43.3 million that he would be foolish not to exercise. 

Slotting both behind a clear ace — should Senga show he’s capable of carrying that load — would be a much more palatable option for the club than heading to the winter with possibly a bunch of No. 3 starters. 

The potential is there for Senga. 

“It’s hard to live up to a pitch that has almost like a folklore to it,” Verlander said, referring to the ghost fork. “But it’s been incredible at this level and it has been fun to watch. It surely wouldn’t surprise me at all if he keeps ascending.” 

The Mets saw the best of Senga in his final start before the All-Star break.

On that night at Arizona, he struck out 12 over eight innings and allowed only one run, allowing the Mets the space to rally in the ninth inning and win. 

That followed two straight starts in which he failed to pitch six innings. 

“It was encouraging to see him make adjustments as he went along in the first half,” Ottavino said. “What ultimately determines what kind of career you are going to have is your ability to make those adjustments.

“For him to have a lot of walks and still end up with strong ERA numbers [3.31] through the first half is a really good indicator that he has got more in the tank there and his upside is high.” 

Is Senga an ace?

Regardless of whether the Mets emerge as a factor in the wild-card race, Senga will be an intriguing second-half storyline.