The New York Mets have assigned their third-ranked prospect Jonah Tong to Triple-A, as the starting rotation gradually takes shape.

Since David Stearns took over as President of Baseball Operations for the New York Mets, the organization has prioritized honest dialogue with players about their chances of making the roster. When spring training commenced this year, the leadership conveyed to Jonah Tong that if the rest of the squad remained healthy, he would most probably start the season at Triple-A Syracuse.

Today, the Mets officially made this move, reassigning Tong to the minors with approximately two weeks remaining in spring training. Jonah Tong will begin the season with Syracuse, and if he performs well, he stands as a potential top candidate for promotion.

“He will pitch for us,” said manager Carlos Mendoza. “He is an important part of our blueprint. Go to the minors and continue developing.”

According to MLB Pipeline rankings, Jonah Tong is the Mets' third-ranked prospect and ranks 48th overall in the league. In his sole Grapefruit League spring training appearance on February 25, he pitched 2.2 innings and allowed three runs. This seemed to extend his performance from last September, when Tong made his MLB debut amid intense playoff competition but posted a 7.71 ERA over five starts.

Although the Mets hold high expectations for Jonah Tong, they need not rush his development, as spring training camp already boasts six healthy starters: Freddy Peralta, Nolan McLean, Sean Manaea, Clay Holmes, David Peterson, and Kodai Senga. A seventh starter, Christian Scott, will also join the competition at some point. During the final two weeks of the Grapefruit League, the Mets intend to stretch out these seven pitchers as much as possible. They are likely to begin the season with a six-man rotation.

As for Jonah Tong, the Mets hope he continues refining his curveball and slider, pitches he utilized sparingly during his MLB debut. At just 22 years old, Tong has rapidly ascended through the minor leagues over the past two seasons, achieving an impressive 1.43 ERA across the highest two levels last year.

“We have been straightforward with him from the start,” Mendoza remarked. “You know injuries are inevitable during spring training, and thankfully, we are relatively healthy now. But the most probable outcome is that he begins the season with Triple-A.”