The New York Mets are calling up pitcher Jonah Tong, their No. 4 prospect and No. 44 overall, who leads the minor leagues in strikeouts and earned-run average.
The 22-year-old right-hander will make a start Friday against the Miami Marlins, according to Mets manager Carlos Mendoza. Tong will join a team that finds itself in the middle of a playoff race. The Mets are behind the Philadelphia Phillies by 5 games in the National League East and hold a 3½ game lead for the last wild card spot.
“This went fast for Jonah,” Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns said during a news conference Tuesday. “But to his credit, he really conquered everything we put in front of him. He exceeded our expectations throughout this year, and he put himself in a position where he deserved to be considered for a day like this.”
The Mets’ seventh-round draft pick in 2022 opened the season in double-A Binghamton, where he made 20 starts. Tong struck out 162 batters and led the league with a 1.59 ERA when he was promoted to triple-A Syracuse in earlier this month.
Tong will make a start with the big league team after pitching 11.2 innings in Syracuse without giving up a run while striking out 17.
The Mets are in the middle of a season-long 16 games in a 16-day stretch and the front office wanted to have a sixth starter to give its starting pitchers an extra day of rest.
“He earned it, man. He earned it,” Mendoza told reporters. “I’m excited. We are all excited.”
Tong and the Mets will face Eury Pérez and the Marlins on Friday at 4:10 p.m. PDT at Citi Field.
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