Having climbed a half-game out of the National League East cellar, the New York Mets aim to reinforce their pitching rotation with one of their top prospects.
The Mets announced Friday that they promoted right-handed hurler Jonah Tong from Triple-A Syracuse. To create space for him on the roster, veteran relief pitcher Craig Kimbrel was designated for reassignment.
The 22-year-old Tong was recognized as the Mets’ premier pitching prospect by prominent sources such as MLB.com, Baseball America, and The Athletic. Across nine starts at the Triple-A level this year, he achieved a 5.68 earned run average, registering 55 strikeouts and 24 walks over 38 innings pitched. He was selected by the Mets in the seventh round of the 2022 draft, having attended Bill Crothers Secondary School in Ontario, Canada.
The organization did not disclose Tong’s intended position upon his integration into the major league lineup. However, his previous appearance for Syracuse was on May 14, and he was subsequently removed from his planned start on Wednesday.
This provides Tong with a full week of recovery, likely making him ready to pitch in the Friday game against the Marlins. Tobias Myers is scheduled to pitch for the Mets, yet he has not pitched more than three innings in any of his 16 outings this season.
This marks Tong’s second time playing in the major leagues for the Mets. During the previous year, he initiated five games between late August and the conclusion of the season, achieving a 7.71 ERA, recording 22 strikeouts, and conceding 24 base hits over 18 and two-thirds innings. Before his initial promotion, he topped all minor league pitchers with 179 strikeouts over 22 starts split between Double-A and Triple-A.
Tong represents the newest highly-rated prospect to be promoted by the Mets, following in the footsteps of outfielders Carson Benge, Nick Morabito, and A.J. Ewing.
Kimbrel, set to celebrate his 38th birthday soon, posted a 6.00 earned run average over 14 games played for the Mets this season. He recorded 15 strikeouts across 15 innings pitched, while also giving up 16 base hits. His arrival with the squad came in early April, following an initial minor league contract during spring training.
While formerly considered among Major League Baseball’s most dominant relief pitchers for saves, Kimbrel has not logged a save since the 2024 season when he was with the Baltimore Orioles. The experienced 17-year player holds the fifth position in MLB history for career saves, with 440. Nevertheless, the Mets’ intention was not for him to serve as their primary closer, a role for which they had already secured Devin Williams.
