Jonah

Tong

Tong had two good outings after first being called up from Triple-A, but he really struggled on Tuesday, allowing five runs (four earned) in 3 1/3 innings against the Mariners. The 22-year-old struggled with walks in Triple-A this year and also walked seven batters in 10 innings since being called up. He’ll continue to work on his command down in Triple-A, with the Mets likely getting Kodai Senga (back) back in the rotation next week.

Huascar Brozobán opened the game with a scoreless first inning, then gave up a two-run homer to Patrick Widsom in the second. Brozobán would hand it over to Tong with two outs and one runner on. Tong would get out of the inning with a strikeout. Seattle would bring an unearned run in to score on two errors in the third. Tong then loaded the bases in the fourth inning and gave up one run on a sacrifice fly. Things fell apart in the fifth, with Jhonny Pereda taking him deep for a three-run blast. Tong’s day would be done after the fifth. He stuck out four. The 22-year-old right-hander had come into Tuesday’s action with 6 2/3 scoreless innings in two long relief outings. This spot in the rotation is due up against the Cardinals in New York next Tuesday, but Kodai Senga should be ready to return following his final rehab start on Wednesday.

David Peterson’s demotion to the bullpen in conjunction with nebulous roles for Jonah Tong and Sean Manaea have created an opportunity for Senga to have a meaningful role with the Mets again. The 33-year-old will make his likely final rehab start later this week before returning to New York’s pitching mix, most likely as a traditional starter, at some point next week.

Tong was not as sharp here compared to his season debut against the Marlins last time out. There was some shoddy defense behind him – including his own error which led to an unearned run – but his changeup lacked serious bite and his curveball was literally all over the place. The one saving grace was his cutter. While also being erratic, it flashed as the exact swing-and-miss offering he’s desperately searching for to pair with his lively fastball. Tong is taking baby steps and should be left on waiver wires as he tries to build up his repertoire while working in this bulk relief role.

Tong will take the ball after opener Huascar Brazobán on Wednesday night at Citi Field. The 22-year-old top prospect tossed three hitless innings with a pair of strikeouts in his season debut against the Marlins last Friday. There’s some clear streaming appeal in deeper mixed leagues based on his strikeout upside, especially against a Reds lineup that has been fairly pedestrian this season.

All signs point to Jonah Tong sticking around for another turn in New York’s rotation after tossing three scoreless frames in his season debut on Friday night. Thornton heads back to the minors after allowing four runs over 4 1/3 innings against the Nationals in his big-league debut earlier this week. The unheralded 24-year-old control artist figures to get another chance when injuries or ineffectiveness create an opportunity later this season.

The Mets were a bit coy on how they were going to deploy Tong ahead of this game, and he would up following Tobias Myers and Sean Manaea in a bit of a college baseball-esque swing-man, bullpen game. His stuff looked electric though. His fastball had great life at the top of the zone, sat around 96 mph, and topped out at 99 mph. His changeup was nasty as well, forcing a whiff on all three times the Marlins swung at it. We also got to see four total of Tong’s reworked breaking stuff – two sharp dropping sliders, one cutter, and one firmer curveball. Those pitches hold the keys to his short and long-term future success, so it’ll be worth paying close attention to them should he stick with the major league team.

Craig Kimbrel was designated for assignment as the corresponding move. Tobias Myers is starting this weekend’s opener against the Marlins, so it remains to be seen what Tong’s role will be, but he’ll be active Friday. The young right-hander has struggled at Triple-A this season, especially compared to last year. He rejoins the Mets with a 5.68 ERA and a 4.09 xFIP across nine minor-league starts. Tong carries significant long-term fantasy upside, but how his role shakes out will go a long way toward determining his viability in 2026 redraft leagues.

There are zero guarantees here, but it sounds like Tong is an option to pitch at some point during New York’s upcoming three-game series against the Marlins that gets underway on Friday night. The 22-year-old top pitching prospect was scratched from his scheduled start for Triple-A Syracuse on Wednesday to keep him available. Tong was hit hard in his first taste of the majors last year, but offers sky-high strikeout upside, which makes him an interesting low-risk pickup for fantasy managers. There should be a definitive update on the Mets pitching plan later this week.

No word yet, but it looks like the Mets might call on Tong to face the Nationals on Thursday. That would presumably mean that Zach Thornton will be sent right back down after starting tonight. Tong has a 5.68 ERA and a 55/24 K/BB in 38 innings for Syracuse, so he doesn’t seem like a mixed-league option at the moment.