Carlos Mendoza not considering five-man Mets rotation despite Ron Darling’s Kodai Senga comment

PORT ST. LUCIE — One day after SNY analyst Ron Darling suggested the Mets abandon plans to accommodate Kodai Senga’s preference for a six-man staff, manager Carlos Mendoza left no doubt that a conventional five-man alignment is not on the table this spring.

“Not currently a consideration,” Mendoza told The Post when asked about Darling’s proposal, reiterating that the club will continue to build extra rest into the schedule for most starters.

Senga, who threw another crisp live batting-practice session on a back field here, is scheduled to make his next appearance in an upcoming Grapefruit League game. Staff evaluators have been struck by the right-hander’s intensity throughout camp and remain comfortable tailoring the rotation around his routine.

If health cooperates, the season-opening group projects as Senga, Opening Day assignee Freddy Peralta, Clay Holmes, David Peterson, Sean Manaea and rookie Nolan McLean — a six-pack that allows the Mets to limit wear on all but Peralta, whom Mendoza identified as the lone arm unlikely to receive routine extra days off. The manager said he will continue dialogue with each pitcher about usage patterns as exhibitions progress.

The precautionary approach stems partly from last spring, when the Mets lost Manaea to a strained oblique and Frankie Montas to a strained lat before the regular season began. So far, the rotation has avoided setbacks, even as Holmes and McLean prepare to depart for World Baseball Classic duty with Team USA.

Holmes furthered his case for a high-leverage role Sunday, working an efficient outing in the Mets’ 4-3 win over Houston at Clover Park. The right-hander leaned on a retooled cutter, throwing the pitch 21 percent of the time—well above last year’s 8.3 percent mark—and pairing it with his signature sinker and sweeper.

“There’s so much movement, life, sink and cut on his pitches,” Mendoza said, adding that a reliable cutter could make Holmes “even better.”

Roster trims continued after the game: right-hander Alex Carrillo was optioned to Triple-A Syracuse, while left-handers Anderson Severino and Matt Turner were reassigned to minor-league camp, trimming the big-league contingent to 70 players.

Outfielder Cristian Pache, long valued for his glove, has opened eyes with the bat this spring. “He’s an elite defender,” Mendoza noted. “Offensively, his at-bat quality—he’s hit the ball hard up the middle and run the bases [well]. There are a lot of tools there. It’s good to see the results.”

Away from the field, St. John’s University will honor the late Shannon Forde—a beloved Mets media relations executive and St. John’s alumna—during Tuesday’s men’s basketball game against Georgetown at Madison Square Garden.