On Friday afternoon, the New York Mets announced they were calling up Canadian Jonah Tong from Triple-A Syracuse. The Mets’ second-ranked prospect is set to join them for their series opener in south Florida against the Miami Marlins. The 22-year-old opened the year with the Syracuse Mets, making nine starts and turning in a record of 1-3 with an ERA of 5.68 and a WHIP of 1.37.
Opposing teams have struggled to only a .200 average against the right-hander but Tong has struggled with command, walking 24 batters across 38 innings to begin the 2026 season. While the Mets organization would love to see the walks come down, Tong has continued to flash his ability to miss bats, recording 55 strikeouts over those 38 innings. MLB Pipeline’s 36th ranked prospect is also coming off a 2025 season split between Double and Triple-A in which he recorded 179 strikeouts, good for the minor-league lead. Tong is set for his second stint in MLB after making his debut on August 29, 2025 against the same Marlins. In his first big-league outing, Tong pitched five innings, allowing only one earned run and striking out six, proving why Mets fans had been long excited for the Markham, Ontario native. The 2022 seventh-round draft pick ended up making five starts total during his first stint in MLB. Across those outings, Tong went 2-3 with a 7.71 ERA and 1.77 WHIP. Tong’s strikeout ability carried over with the promotion, striking out 22 batters across his 18 2/3 frames, but was hit hard by opposing clubs. Tong allowed 24 hits, and three home runs, and was only able to complete six innings during one of his outings.
Tobias Myers starts Friday’s series opener which could place Tong into a bulk role. Myers has appeared in 16 games this season, and has yet to surpass the three inning mark, leaving the option for Tong to get thrown right back into action at the games highest level.
To make room on the 26-man roster for Tong, right-hander Craig Kimbrel was designated for assignment. Kimbrel departs the Mets’ organization after appearing in 14 games, and pitching to a 0-2 record, an ERA of 6.00 and a WHIP of 1.47. Kimbrel, who will be 38 in just under a week, signed a minor league deal with the Mets on January 29 with the hope he could turn back the clock to his dominant years, but that version of Kimbrel wasn’t found over his 15 innings.
