Carlos Mendoza remained cautiously optimistic on Sunday, hesitant to get too excited prematurely. However, it would be understandable if the Mets manager allowed himself a moment of excitement this week.

All season long, the Mets have been waiting for a week like this. The anticipation dates back to spring training, where they faced setbacks with both Sean Manaea and Frankie Montas missing the season’s start in February.

The situation became more complex when Kodai Senga suffered a hamstring strain on June 12. Nevertheless, with Montas returning last month from a lat strain, the Mets were on the verge of having their top two pitching acquisitions from the offseason and their ace back in action simultaneously. They were on the verge of returning to 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.