Jonah Tong Gets Another Opportunity

Jonah Tong, the 22-year-old Mets pitcher, is set to take the mound again on Thursday for the series finale against the Padres at Citifield. His last outing was less than stellar—he didn’t manage to get through three outs.

On Tuesday, Clay Holmes and Sean Manaea performed well as the Mets are tweaking their rotation, but Tong still remains part of the mix. Coach Carlos Mendoza remains optimistic, stating, “We’re not going to overreact after one inning. He has the ability to bounce back. What we’ve seen in the minors and what we see here should leave him feeling good on Thursday.”

This season, Tong has been impressive in the minors and showed promise during his first two major league appearances. However, his recent performance against the Rangers wasn’t great—he gave up six runs on four hits, along with three walks, before he was pulled after two-thirds of an inning.

After the game, the young right-hander seemed emotional but received encouragement from teammates. “One reason we feel good promoting these guys is that they handle adversity well,” said David Stearns, president of baseball operations. He also mentioned how many experienced pitchers shared their own struggles with Tong, aiming to reassure him that setbacks happen to everyone.

Mets pitcher Kodai Senga, who is currently in the minors, will make another start with Triple-A Syracuse at the end of the week. Mendoza noted, “We’ll go from there.” If Senga hadn’t been sidelined by injuries, he wouldn’t be available until Saturday.

Stearns commented on Mendoza’s leadership, saying, “I think he did a great job as a consistent leader and did what he could to help our group move forward.”

Meanwhile, Luis Torrens, recovering from a right forearm contusion, participated in a Triple-A rehab assignment with the Syracuse Mets, where he caught for seven innings and went 2-for-4 at the plate.