The New York Mets recalled 22-year-old pitcher Jonah Tong from Triple-A on Friday and designated veteran reliever Craig Kimbrel for assignment, a move driven by roster needs and an opportunity to start him in the weekend series against the Miami Marlins.
For the second time in a few days, the Mets pulled a pitcher up as the season refused to settle.
On Friday, New York recalled 22-year-old Jonah Tong from triple-A. The team made the corresponding roster move by designating veteran reliever Craig Kimbrel for assignment.
Tong had been scratched from his start at triple-A Syracuse on Wednesday. Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said the decision was meant to keep the Markham, Ont., native “in play” for a start in the team’s weekend series against the Miami Marlins.
It’s a sharp turn for a pitcher whose rise has been the cleanest storyline in New York’s system. In 2025. Tong shot up the Mets’ minor-league affiliates. striking out 179 batters in 113.2 innings split between double-A Binghamton and triple-A Syracuse—leading all of affiliated ball. He carried a 1.43 ERA in the minors and was named the MiLB pitcher of the year.
That performance earned him a late-August recall. Even with inconsistency against major-league hitters, Tong managed to strike out 22 batters in 18.2 innings and made five starts for the Mets down the stretch.
After his first MLB stretch. the 22-year-old was optioned back to triple-A to begin the 2026 season. with a focus on improving some of his secondary offerings. Through nine triple-A starts so far, the results haven’t matched his 2025 dominance: Tong owns a 5.68 ERA. Still, the strikeouts have shown up—55 in 38 innings.
The timing of this recall also lands in the middle of another Mets problem: injuries. The team has lost a number of players to the injured list, including starters Clay Holmes and Kodai Senga. With that rotation pressure building, Tong is a logical candidate to fill innings right away.
The Mets’ broader season picture has been uneven, but there has been momentum. After a disappointing start, New York has won seven of its last 10 games to climb back to 22-28 for the season.
Back at the big-league level, Tong’s immediate task is simple: translate the swing-and-miss he’s still generating in triple-A into a steadier stretch for the Mets—especially with a weekend series against the Miami Marlins already on the calendar.
Mets New York Mets Jonah Tong Craig Kimbrel triple-A Syracuse Markham Ont Carlos Mendoza MiLB pitcher of the year Clay Holmes Kodai Senga Miami Marlins