Carlos Mendoza didn’t want to get ahead of himself Sunday, but if the Mets manager ever wanted to stray from that phlegmatic mindset for just a moment this week, it would be understandable.

The Mets have been waiting for a week like this all season, dating back to spring training when — in a week-long February stretch from Port St. Lucie — they learned both Sean Manaea and Frankie Montas would miss the start of the season.

Kodai Senga’s hamstring strain June 12 added another wrinkle to everything. But when Montas returned last month from his lat strain, the Mets were on the brink of having their top two offseason pitching signings and their ace available at the same time. They were on the brink of normalcy.

So, yes, Mendoza acknowledged after the Mets lost to the Yankees to complete the Subway Series, this is “exciting.” Getting Manaea and Senga back this week — alongside designated hitter and outfielder Jesse Winker — would be “huge,” and it’s something Mendoza admitted he didn’t expect when he saw Senga leap for a throw from Pete Alonso and instantly start rolling around on the grass in pain about a month ago. Manaea’s oblique injury in spring, followed by an elbow-related setback, didn’t make pitching at this point of the season a guarantee, either.