September has a different feel for the Mets, but Jonah Tong’s next turn could still matter a lot.
New York is finishing out a lost season, and the month has already become a runway for younger players such as A.J. Ewing, Christian Scott and Nolan McLean to get important big-league reps.
Tong is about to join that group. According to Mike Puma of the New York Post, the Mets are set to call him up to pitch in their next road series in Miami early next week.
That would give Tong another shot after two uneven big-league stints last September and this June. The organization spent most of this year keeping him at Triple-A Syracuse, where he was working on new pitches and trying to tighten things up rather than rushing him back.
Lately, though, Tong has been forcing the issue. He carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning in his last start and has posted a 0.84 ERA over his past 21.2 innings across four starts. That stretch is what has pushed the Mets toward another look.
The timing is notable because a return had seemed close after the trade deadline. Once the Mets moved on from Clay Holmes and Freddy Peralta, it looked like Tong might be next in line. Instead, they stayed patient and used veteran Robert Stock in the rotation while Tong kept refining his game in Syracuse.
Now the club has a clearer picture of what’s ahead. The rotation situation going into the offseason remains unsettled, and the Mets can really count only on McLean and Scott as definite pieces. Sean Manaea and Zac Thornton are in the mix for spots, but Tong brings a higher ceiling than both, based on what he did in the minors last season, when he led all of minor league baseball with 179 strikeouts.
A call-up next week would likely give Tong three or four starts to close out the year. That’s not much time, but it could still put him in front of some serious tests against the Marlins, Baltimore Orioles, Texas Rangers and Washington Nationals. If he handles that stretch well, he could create real momentum for a rotation job next season.
If the results go the other way, the Mets may have to revisit how they want to use him. Kodai Senga’s success after moving to the bullpen offers one possible path, and Tong could benefit from a simpler pitch mix and a chance to let it rip.
Still, New York would much rather find a starter than a reliever here. Tong remains a pitcher with a chance to become a major league piece, and while the Tim Lincecum comparisons may have gone too far, he still has the stuff to develop into a No. 2 or No. 3 starter if his control improves.
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