The New York Mets demoted one of their primary developmental prospects in a move that came surprisingly early.
The New York Mets have an abundance of pitchers competing for spots in the back half of the rotation, and starter Jonah Tong was the first casualty. According to Anthony DiComo of MLB.com, the Mets have notified Tong that he’ll be optioned to Triple-A Syracuse when the season starts.
The move wasn’t unexpected, according to DiComo. Mets officials told Tong at the start of spring training that if everyone else stays healthy, Syrancuse would be his starting point for 2026.
“He’s going to pitch for us,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “He’s a big part of what we’re trying to do here. Just go down there and continue to develop.”
Tong had some success last season when he came up, but he also got hit around some, to the point where he ended up with a 7.71 ERA over five starts. He gave up three runs in 2-2/3 innings in his lone start in spring training, and under different circumstances they might have given him a better chance to make the rotation.
But the Mets have plenty of other starting options, and to date both Clay Holmes and David Peterson have both pitched well. Sean Manaea and Kodai Senga are also in the mix at the back of the rotation, but their prospects are more problematic given the way they struggled at the end of last year.
“We were pretty honest with him from the very beginning,” Mendoza said. “Understanding that injuries happen throughout camp, knock on wood, we’re still pretty healthy. But the most likely outcome was he was probably going to start the year in Triple-A.”
That may be true, but it’s fair to wonder if money is involved here with Tong. The Mets tried to get him to sign an extension when he got to camp, but Tong wisely shut down that possibility. It’s always interesting to see how the relationships between teams and their young players, and Tong doubtless wants to get to Citi Field as quickly as possible.
His time in Triple-A certainly won’t hurt him, especially since Tong is still just 22. He posted an ERA of just 1.43 over two minor league levels last year, and it would be shocking if he didn’t have similar success at Syracuse.
It is a situation worth monitoring, though, especially since the Mets are building their rotation around another young starter, Nolan McLean, who’s been getting what a pitcher like Tong might consider preferential treatment so far.