Less than two weeks after Nolan McLean’s debut, the Mets have decided to promote fellow right-handed pitching prospect Jonah Tong, manager Carlos Mendoza announced in Tuesday’s pre-game press conference. Tong will start against the Marlins on Friday night at Citi Field.
The 22-year-old Tong has dazzled in the minors this season, posting a 1.59 ERA with 162 K in 102.0 IP at Double-A Binghamton before being promoted to Triple-A Syracuse, where he threw 11.2 innings of scoreless ball across two starts.
A former seventh-round pick in 2022, the Ontario native is currently listed as the No. 4 prospect in the Mets organization and the No. 7 right-handed pitching prospect in baseball, according to MLB.com. He was also fourth on the Amazin’ Avenue 2025 prospect list.
Tong was selected to the Futures Game in Atlanta last month, firing a one-two-three inning while averaging over 96 mph on his four-seam fastball and flashing a devastating 12-6 curveball. Tong’s extreme over-the-top delivery and long stride earned him comparisons to two-time Cy Young winner Tim Lincecum in the MLB Network broadcast booth.
When asked about Tong getting the call after just two starts in Triple-A, Mendoza said the decision was “all about him dominating the minor leagues.” Mendoza wouldn’t definitively say whether the Mets would retain Tong as a sixth starter at the major league level or treat this Friday as a spot start, saying the team will take things “one outing at a time.”
“We’re getting to a point now where our job is to put the best guys out there day in and day out, and the players that we feel (are) gonna give us the best chance to win that particular day,” Mendoza said. “So he’s gonna get an opportunity on Friday, and then we’ll go from there.”
The Mets have three games to play before Tong’s debut, with a pair left against the Phillies and the series opener with Miami on Thursday night. While the Mets have a long way to go before clinching a playoff spot, if Tong sticks around he could soon find himself pitching pivotal innings on the national stage in October.
