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Mets Call Up Top Prospect Jonah Tong to Start in Friday's Game

He leads the minor leagues in strikeouts this season.

Madison Williams

The Mets called up one of their top prospects Jonah Tong to start in Friday's game.
The Mets called up one of their top prospects Jonah Tong to start in Friday's game. / Brett Davis-Imagn Images
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The Mets are calling up their No. 4 prospect, minor league pitching star Jonah Tong to start Friday's game vs. the Marlins in New York. Mets manager Carlos Mendoza confirmed the news when speaking to media on Tuesday.

"I think it's all about dominating the minor leagues," Mendoza said. "It's hard to keep him there."

Tong's future in MLB will be determined "one start at a time," Mendoza noted.

"Dominating" is definitely the right word to describe Tong's minor league performances this season. Tong leads the minor leagues with 179 strikeouts. On top of that, the 22-year-old has not allowed a run in 11 2/3 innings since being promoted to Triple A Syracuse on Aug. 11. He previously pitched in 20 games for Double A Binghamton. Across both stops this season, Tong is 10–5 with a 1.43 ERA in 22 starts.

The Mets just placed right-handed pitcher Frank Montas on the 60-day injured list, effectively ending his season, on Monday. Additionally, right-hander Reed Garrett was placed on the 15-day injured list on Monday with right elbow inflammation.

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Madison Williams
MADISON WILLIAMS

Madison Williams is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated, where she specializes in tennis but covers a wide range of sports from a national perspective. Before joining SI in 2022, Williams worked at The Sporting News. Having graduated from Augustana College, she completed a master’s in sports media at Northwestern University. She is a dog mom and an avid reader.

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