3 Mets Roster Call-Ups I'd Make in September If I Were David Stearns

With the season long over for the Mets, the future should be the main priority and that's why calling up these three young arms in September is a must.

If I were in Mets President of Baseball Operations David Stearns's shoes, here's what I'd do next month. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The recent hot streak aside, the Mets have been dead and buried for a significant stretch of time now. As they prepare to play out the string down the stretch, the future has to be at the very front of mind.

With nothing left to play for other than personal pride, now is the ideal opportunity for the Mets to see the options they have internally as they look to build a roster that can return to true contender status in 2027.

And with roster expansion just around the corner as August winds down, there are a few promotions that I would make if I were Mets President of Baseball Operations David Stearns.

3 young pitchers I would promote to Mets in September

It is no secret that pitching, and starting pitching in particular, is the biggest area of need for the Mets to address in the offseason. Although Nolan McLean looks like ace material, and Christian Scott and Zac Thornton have proved that they are worthy of full-time starter roles, the rest of the rotation is very much in flux.

While there is a clear need to add some reliable veteran arms to the mix, again, a reunion with Clay Holmes would be perfect; the Mets do have a number of young arms with high potential in the minors that could all win a job out of spring training.

That's exactly why, if I were PBO, I'd call up Jonah Tong, Jack Wenninger and Jonathan Santucci once rosters expand next month.

Tong is a compelling case study. He showed tantalizing flashes of his elite potential when called up to the Majors last year, but he also proved that he clearly wasn't ready. He laid several clunkers on the mound and finished with an ugly 7.71 ERA. Furthermore, Tong has been up and down at Triple-A Syracuse this season, pitching to a 4.86 ERA. However, he's been much better as of late and owns a 2.56 ERA over his last seven starts.

Jonah Tong deserves a second chance with the Mets, even if his last trip to the big leagues didn't go as planned. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Despite that impressive turnaround, it seems that the Mets are content to stick with veteran Robert Stock in the rotation, despite the fact that he's allowed seven or more earned runs in two of his last four starts, including eight earned runs in his last outing on Wednesday. Now, there is an argument to be made that the Mets are right to be cautious with Tong because of his previous struggles and the lack of confidence that followed.

With that said, the rest of this season needs to be solely on evaluating for the future. Period. Stock is a placeholder, whereas Tong is still considered a big part of the team's future. Plus, it is important to remember that Tong was called up last year to help a team imploding in on itself during the race for a playoff spot. A lot of pressure was thrust upon his young shoulders. That won't be the case this time around.

The Mets have nothing to play for, so there is a chance for Tong to come up, put together some quality starts, and fill himself with a lot of confidence heading into spring training. That would be incredibly important for both the team and the player.

Likewise, I'd like to see Wenninger and Santucci called up too. Like Tong, Wenninger has endured an up-and-down year for Triple-A Syracuse. He pitched to a 4.17 ERA over 101.1 innings but, similar to Tong, has shown some more consistency lately, including five innings of no-hit ball last week.

Five hitless innings for Jack Wenninger! 💪

5.0 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 6 K pic.twitter.com/DshIS9gAuH

— Mets Player Development (@MetsPlayerDev) August 22, 2026

And Santucci has flown through the Minor League ranks and has ascended as the Mets' top pitching prospect. With a dangerous four-seam fastball and slider, Santucci generates a lot of swings-and-misses, strikes out a ton of hitters, and would add a lefty option to the rotation.

All in all, the Mets have a lot of work to do to overhaul the starting rotation, and now is the time to assess what options they have in-house. For Tong especially, but also Wenninger and Santucci, getting the chance to impress in September could give them a key head start going into spring training next year.

Get Mets On SI straight to your inbox: sign up for our free newsletter here.