Mets promote Jonah Tong, designate Craig Kimbrel for assignment

The New York Mets’ youth movement continued on Friday when they recalled top pitching prospect Jonah Tong from Triple A to help give their starting rotation a break.

With the Mets in a stretch of 16 straight days with a game, versatile reliever Tobias Myers is set to start on Friday against the Miami Marlins, but it’s likely Tong will appear in the game to cover multiple innings. Myers is not stretched out beyond a couple innings; Tong was scratched from his Triple A start on Wednesday.

To make room on the active roster for Tong (the right-hander was already on the 40-man roster), the Mets designated veteran reliever Craig Kimbrel for assignment. New York essentially telegraphed the move on Wednesday when they had the 37-year-old log 2 2/3 innings in a loss to save them from using anyone else.

Over 14 appearances and 15 games with the Mets, Kimbrel, once one of the game’s great closers, had a 6.00 ERA. The Mets had signed him to a minor-league deal and though he failed to make the team out of spring training, he joined them in mid-April.

It’s unclear how long Tong’s stay with the Mets will last this go-around. New York may soon need to make another move if they reinstate lefty reliever A.J. Minter from the 60-day injured list. Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said earlier in the week that Minter would pitch once more over the weekend in Triple A and could be activated early next week. One possible scenario would be that the Mets option Tong for another reliever on Saturday or Sunday and then swap that reliever for Minter on the roster.

Tong is one of six rookies on the Mets’ active roster. Their rotation features rookie Nolan McLean plus veterans Freddy Peralta and David Peterson. Christian Scott is technically a second-year player after he missed all of last season because of Tommy John surgery but he logged just nine major-league appearances in 2024. After losing Clay Holmes to the injured list, the Mets called up rookie left-hander Zach Thornton to replace him. Since Holmes’ injury last week, length has lingered as an issue for the Mets’ rotation; no starter has logged six innings.

In nine starts at Triple A this season, Tong holds a 5.68 ERA. His 32.7 percent strikeout rate ranks among the best in the minor leagues. But the impressive strikeout figure comes with a 14.3 percent walk rate, which ranks among the worst in the International League.

The Mets rushed Tong, 22, up to the majors last season after just two starts in Triple A because they were desperate for help in their rotation. His stint in the majors did not go well. Over five starts, he threw just 18 2/3 innings and had a 7.71 ERA. It was an aggressive assignment for someone who had thrown just 9 1/3 innings above A-ball coming into the 2025 season.