![\"Jonah](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/jonah-tong-funk-deliver-mets-padres.jpg\" "\\"Mets")
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New York Mets starting pitcher Jonah Tong (21) follows through on a pitch against the San Diego Padres during the third inning at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images<\/p>\n
Regardless of how Monday\u2019s outing went \u2014 his first start in the majors since June 2 and just his fourth this season \u2014 Jonah Tong got the guarantee from interim manager Andy Green that he will spend the remainder of the 2026 campaign in the big leagues.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s had a good run here recently [in Triple-A], and we want to see him build on it,\u201d Green said. \u201cI think we\u2019re all excited to see it, and we\u2019ll continue to hand him the ball for the rest of this year. We\u2019re not going to make a secret of that. He\u2019s going to post when it\u2019s his turn to pitch, and he hasn\u2019t really had that knowledge at any point in his big-league career.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe recognize there\u2019s not a lot of season left, but the season that is left, he\u2019s going to be in the rotation, and he\u2019s going to get the baseball.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
This is the first real time that the 23-year-old right-hander is entering the majors with some semblance of stability.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n
After putting on a show, mostly in Double-A, last season, the Mets prematurely called him up in an attempt to save their season from an eventual collapse. Tong never stood a chance, and the then-22-year-old posted a 7.71 ERA across five starts.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He struggled to reel in his command for the majority of this season in Triple-A Syracuse, though he still got recalled for three emergency starts earlier this season and looked passable to the tune of a 3.60 ERA.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But Tong found his stuff over the last seven weeks and looks like the top-tier prospect that the Mets were banking on last year. Since July 18 (eight starts), he has owned a 2.20 ERA<\/a> with 44 strikeouts and 20 walks, though he yielded two or fewer free passes in five of his last six starts.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThere are so many things that we have control over in our career,\u201d Tong said. \u201cSometimes there are just lessons that have to be learned. I\u2019m just really excited to see the person that I\u2019ve become out of it.\u201d<\/p>\n The Mets should be excited to see what they have with far less on the line. Tong should be in the conversation for a spot in the big-league rotation next season, meaning he would join a young, up-and-coming group that is already set to feature Nolan McLean, Christian Scott, and Zac Thornton.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI think just day by day and brick by brick, I\u2019m the same kid I was last year as I am this year,\u201d Tong continued. \u201cThe only difference is I just have a boatload of experience that I didn\u2019thave last year.\u201d<\/p>\n