Jonah

Tong

Rosenthal, Lin and Sammon add the Padres have expressed interest in the Mets’ trio of elite pitching prospects — Nolan McLean, Jonah Tong and Brandon Sproat — while noting that franchise cornerstones Francisco Lindor and Fernando Tatis Jr. have not surfaced in trade discussions. Any deal involving those prospects would qualify as a blockbuster, though McLean’s inclusion would be especially surprising given that he’s been viewed as virtually untouchable since making his major-league debut late last season. New York remains in the market for an established front-line starter and an additional high-leverage reliever to pair with newly acquired stopper Devin Williams following Edwin Díaz’s departure to Los Angeles. While The Athletic notes that nothing appears imminent, this is a situation worth monitoring closely from a fantasy standpoint.

If Skubal hits the trade market, every general manager with a pulse should already be calling Detroit. Sammon’s addition to the offseason rumor mix comes just days after Jon Heyman of The New York Post noted that the Tigers and Skubal remain nearly $250 million apart in long-term extension talks. The 28-year-old ace is set to hit free agency next offseason, making it increasingly plausible Detroit could explore trade offers if that massive gap proves unbridgeable. Barring major offseason moves, New York will open next season with one of the most intriguing young cores in baseball, featuring top pitching prospects Nolan McLean, Jonah Tong and Brandon Sproat. What they lack is a proven frontline starter — making Skubal a near-perfect fit. It’s conceivable that McLean or Tong could headline a prospect package in a potential blockbuster.

Ouch. This was Tong’s second disastrous start in three tries. Similar to his first inning implosion against the Rangers two weeks ago, he couldn’t force any swings on pitches out of the zone and gave up tons of contact on pitches in it. He was unable to suppress hard contact in any way either as eight of the 11 balls put in play against him were hard-hit. It feels like his repertoire is simply missing a piece at the moment as his fastball and changeup are doing little to fool hitters.

Tong allowed four hits, all of them singles, and walked none in the 82-pitch outing. He excelled even though his velocity was down some; he averaged 94.4 mph with his fastball today, down from 95.7 mph in his first three starts (and his two Triple-A starts before that). Tong will probably pitch just once more during the regular season next week against the Cubs.

What an unmitigated disaster. Tong walked the first two batters of the game and never seemed to find the strike zone. Almost worse than that, the Rangers practically never even swung. Of the 40 pitches he threw, they only swung eight times, swung-and-missed once, and didn’t chase a single pitch out of the zone. It was a harsh reminder that while Tong’s fastball and changeup have the potential to be great pitches, his repertoire is probably still missing another piece or two. It’s unknown whether or not he’ll remain in the Mets’ rotation after this blowup, but is scheduled to face the Nationals at home next time out if he does.

Tong was hurt by the long-ball on Saturday against the Mets. After a clean first inning, he surrendered a two-run homer to Sal Stewart in the second. Matt McLain then added a solo shot to lead off the third before Austin Hays took him deep to start the fourth. Tong gave the Mets two more scoreless frames, ending his day with six strikeouts over six innings. The promising 22-year-old right-hander will look to bounce back in a matchup against the Rangers in New York on Friday.

Tong arrived in the show with plenty of fanfare and delivered on those lofty expectations. This debut had plenty of high points, like a six-pitch first inning and finding his secondary stuff in the middle innings. It also had a few moments where he had to put his head down and show some grit, like working through an error by Francisco Lindor to get through the fifth and only generating seven total swings-and-misses. Yet, his lineup spotted him a 12-run cushion and he was able to work through these kinks to eventually earn the win. On top of that, his bubbly nature on the mound was infectious and the Citi Field faithful were behind him every step of the way. More whiffs will come with better fastball command and fine-tuning his sequencing between that fastball, changeup, and curveball. Still, it’s impossible not to be highly encouraged by this debut and he’ll have a chance to build on it next Friday night against the Reds in Cincinnati. However, the Mets adding Tong to their staff means they’re going forward with a six-man rotation, so there’s a chance they could shuffle their starters at some point this week with an off day on Thursday.

Tong is up to make his MLB debut against the Marlins on Friday. The 22-year-old has been sensational in the minors in 2025 with a 1.43 ERA and 179/47 K/BB over 113 2/3 innings. There’s some risk involved with a player making his debut — obviously — and Tong will occasionally deal with command issues, but there’s a considerable amount of upside in his right arm. The reward outweighs the aforementioned risk.

Tong has compiled a stellar 1.43 ERA and 179/47 K/BB across 113 2/3 innings in the upper minors this season. The electrifying 22-year-old strikeout artist will make his highly-anticipated major-league debut on Friday against the division-rival Marlins at Citi Field, according to Mets manager Carlos Mendoza. We assume the Mets are going to a six-man rotation for now, though it’s also possible there’s an injury we don’t know about yet. Regardless, Tong should be picked up in all fantasy leagues wherever he’s still available.

Tong continues to build a compelling case for a spot in New York’s rotation over the final five weeks with another gem on the doorstep of the majors. The 22-year-old piled up 21 swinging strikes and retired 13 consecutive batters at one point in this outing, He leads the entire minors with 177 punchouts over 113 2/3 innings (22 starts). His immense strikeout upside gives him instant appeal for fantasy purposes, even in shallow mixed leagues, once he ascends to the big leagues. He’s worthy of a speculative stash in case New York decides to give him an opportunity during the final month of the season.