New York Mets calling up Canadian pitching prospect Jonah Tong to start Friday

The New York Mets are calling up another top pitching prospect in the middle of a pennant race.

Jonah Tong, of Markham, Ont., will be promoted to start Friday night against the Miami Marlins after only two outings at Triple-A Syracuse. The 22-year-old right-hander has overpowered minor league hitters, striking out 377 while compiling a 2.54 ERA in 247 2/3 career innings.

Tong has struck out more batters than any minor league pitcher at any level this season.

"I think it's all about him dominating the minor leagues," Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said before Tuesday night's 6-5 win over Philadelphia. "It's hard to keep him there, you know? So, here he is now."

With the Mets in a stretch of 16 games without a day off, they want to insert a sixth starter next time through the rotation to give the regular members an extra day of rest. Frankie Montas was largely ineffective this year before being demoted to the bullpen and landing on the injured list recently with a season-ending elbow ailment that is expected to require Tommy John surgery.

Depending on his performance, Tong could stick with the major league club down the stretch.

"We're going turn by turn at this point," president of baseball operations David Stearns said. "I think in September we try not to plan too far ahead."

The decision comes soon after the Mets brought up touted pitcher Nolan McLean from Syracuse to make his debut Aug. 16 against Seattle.

With the team starved for length and dependability from any starter besides David Peterson, the 24-year-old McLean has delivered, going 2-0 with a 1.46 ERA and 15 strikeouts in 12 1/3 innings over two big league starts.

"It's an exciting time for the organization. But at the same time, I don't want to put too much on [Tong's] plate. McLean is McLean, and Jonah Tong is Jonah Tong," Mendoza said. "It's hard to ask these guys to come up here and save us, whatever you want to call it. It's more like, go out there, be yourself, don't put extra pressure — but he earned it. He earned it. I'm excited, we're all excited."

SNY colour commentator Ron Darling, a former Mets starting pitcher, said on Tuesday night's broadcast that Tong had a quick rise through the minor league system, but that's the ultimate goal.

"[Tong] put himself in such a place that they can't keep him down there," Darling said. "That's what you're trying to do when you're in the minor leagues."

McLean is set to make his third start Wednesday night against Philadelphia, which leads the NL East by five games over the Mets heading into their series finale at Citi Field.

New York is 3 1/2 games ahead of Cincinnati for the final National League wild card.

"We're getting to the point where like, every game, we've got to put our best guys out there," Mendoza said.

Tong went to the Georgia Premier Academy and MLB Draft League to showcase his talents as a teenager. He was selected by the Mets in the seventh round of the 2022 amateur draft and really started to take off in the minors last year, when he pitched at three levels.

This season, he went 8-5 with a 1.59 ERA and 162 strikeouts against 44 walks in 20 starts covering 102 innings at Double-A Binghamton. He was promoted to Triple-A on Aug. 11 and encountered little trouble there, too, going 2-0 with 17 strikeouts and three walks in 11 2/3 scoreless innings.

"There's no question this is fast," Stearns said. "We think he's ready for this."

With his slight build and deceptive delivery, the 6-foot-1, 180-pound Tong has drawn comparisons to Tim Lincecum, a two-time NL Cy Young Award winner and four-time All-Star with the San Francisco Giants who pitched in the majors from 2007-16.

"He might not be the tallest pitcher, but he still comes at you with arms and legs and it's very, very hard to pick up [his pitch]," Darling said. "But it's also hard to pick up, because it's plus, plus stuff."

Tong is rated the Mets' No. 4 prospect, one spot behind McLean, and 44th overall in baseball by MLB Pipeline. And it's been a rapid rise — Mendoza said he first met Tong in spring training this year, when the young pitcher was performing his assigned duties as a ball boy for a Triple-A game.

"He dominated the minor leagues," Mendoza said. "Too much to like. We've got to give the kid an opportunity."