Mets Promote Jonah Tong, Designate Craig Kimbrel for Assignment After Early-Season Struggles

The New York Mets' top pitching prospect is on his way back to the big leagues.

Right-hander Jonah Tong is being called up from Triple-A Syracuse ahead of the Mets' weekend series against the Miami Marlins, the club announced Friday.

The move corresponded with relief pitcher Craig Kimbrel being designated for assignment.

Kimbrel, who signed with the Mets ahead of the 2026 season, started out his tenure in Queens by posting a 6.00 ERA across 15 innings in 14 appearances.

The Mets are opening their upcoming series against the Marlins at 7:10 p.m. ET Friday.

Right-hander Tobias Myers is slated to get the Friday start, while the Mets' starters for Saturday and Sunday have yet to be announced.

Tong was scratched from his scheduled Wednesday start at Syracuse despite being healthy, per MLB.com's Anthony DiComo.

DiComo reported at the time the Mets, who are in the midst of a stretch of 16 games in 16 days, were considering calling up Tong in order to give their other starters rest.

That same day as Tong's Triple-A scratch, Kimbrel allowed two earned runs over a career-high 2.2 innings in the Mets' Wednesday loss at the Washington Nationals.

Kimbrel, a nine-time All-Star who won the 2018 World Series with the Boston Red Sox, boasts the fifth-most saves in MLB history with 440 across his career.

Teams hoping that experience will help Kimbrel return to his stronger performances from earlier in the season could now consider targeting him with a waiver claim.

The Mets could meanwhile turn to Tong, who made his MLB debut late in the 2025 season. He recorded a 7.71 ERA in 18.2 innings and five starts with the Mets.

Through nine starts and 38 Triple-A innings this spring, Tong has posted a 1-3 record and 5.68 ERA.

SNY's Danny Abriano noted, however, that Tong has been working in two new pitches in the form of a cutter and slider into his repertoire over that stretch.

Tong heavily relied last season on his four-seamer and change-up, which made up a combined 84 percent of the pitches he threw in his five MLB starts last season, per Baseball Savant.

Despite making those adjustments, Tong has posted a 32.9 percent strikeout rate in Triple-A action this season.

The Mets will now hope to see him lower his walk and hard hit rates as he continues adjusting to his new pitches, potentially beginning with his MLB season debut this weekend in Miami.