Over the last few days, the Mets made their first roster cuts of spring training, cutting five players from major league camp. Jack Wenninger, the only one of the five not on the 40-Man Roster, was reassigned to minor-league camp, while the four players on the 40 were optioned to Triple-A. Those four players are Jonah Tong, Nick Morabito, Dylan Ross, and Jonathan Pintaro. The Mets are now down to 63 players in major league camp.
These moves are not a referendum on the individual performances, but
rather an opportunity to both get them set up for their seasons in Triple-A and also to allow the Mets to have more opportunity to evaluate players who are more on the bubble for a roster spot. All of these players will possibly and perhaps are even likely to appear in further major league spring training games, and the move to minors camp is more just to start the process of shaping the Opening Day roster.
Ross, the first cut, happened back on March 6 without a single pitch tossed in a spring game. Morabito appeared in five games, collecting two hits in 11 plate appearances with a walk, a double, two RBIs, and two stolen bases. This all aligns with the type of player he’s been thus far.
Tong made one start in spring thus far, going two and a third innings, striking out two, allowing three earned runs on a home run and two other hits while walking one and hitting another batter. The line doesn’t look fantastic, but his stuff looked good until he tired in the third inning and gave up the dinger.
Pintaro made two relief appearances for the Mets, going four innings of one-run ball, striking out and walking four apiece. He also allowed four hits.
Wenniger, one of the next batch of starting pitching prospects a little behind the Tong/Nolan McLean/Christian Scott class, appeared in three games, tossing six and two-thirds innings. His control was a little off, allowing seven walks, but he struck out ten and gave up two earned runs on six hits.
It wouldn’t be surprising to see at least two of three, if not all five, of these players get some big league appearances in 2026.
