How Jonah Tong, Sean Manaea and David Peterson Fit in Mets' Rotation Moving Forward

The Mets' starting rotation is in a bit of flux behind Freddy Peralta, Nolan McLean and Christian Scott. How can they best deploy their remaining starters to fill it?

May 27, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets pitcher Jonah Tong (21) delivers a pitch against the Cincinnati Reds during the third inning at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images | Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

The Mets have a lot of work to do to dig themselves out of a deep hole in the standings. One key way they can achieve their goals is figuring out some semblance of clarity in the final two spots of their starting rotation.

The top of the group appears pretty set as Freddy Peralta, Nolan McLean and Christian Scott have looked good for most of the season. The injury to Clay Holmes has thrown his spot into flux while David Peterson's erratic season has caused him to lose a grip on the final spot in the starting five.

The Mets have tried a few options from the minor leagues, with Zack Thornton and Jonah Tong each getting work in the past week and a half. Thornton went back down to the minors after his start but Tong has looked effective in bulk relief, which should lead him to remain a factor over the coming weeks.

With Sean Manaea still in the mix, staying stretched out with long relief outings, and Peterson having worked behind an opener at times there are options to address the back of the rotation. Having a consistent plan there would be a help to manager Carlos Mendoza, who has had to be careful managing a strong bullpen to protect the uncertainty in the back of the rotation.

How the Mets should address the back of the rotation

Peterson's disappointing performance on Tuesday night as a true starter led Mendoza to admit after the game that the team was considering another change there. Mendoza said they are keeping Manaea in mind as a potential option to start in that spot for its next turn, which would come on Sunday against Miami.

Carlos Mendoza was asked if the Mets will consider a switch between David Peterson and Sean Manaea:

"I'm pretty sure there's going to be a conversation. We just ended here, but we're going to need all of them." pic.twitter.com/l1nFLQPcDo

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) May 27, 2026

One of the few options the Mets haven't tried as a starter yet this season is Manaea, who lost a rotation job with a poor spring training performance that included a velocity dip. Manaea has been a bit better of late, pitching to a 3.75 ERA with 15 strikeouts in 12 innings in May, so perhaps a return to the rotation could help the Mets get more out of him.

The other thing that has become clear is that the Mets will plan to keep Tong around for a bit. After his start last night, Mendoza said that they are going to use Tong in different ways going forward, which he did not elaborate on at that point.

Jonah Tong will remain with the Mets. They intend to "get creative" with his usage and deploy him in different ways, Mendoza said.

— Laura Albanese (@AlbaneseLaura) May 28, 2026

This development plan is ironically similar to how the Brewers broke Peralta into the big leagues while David Stearns was the head baseball executive there. Peralta received a mix of starts and relief work over his first three seasons, covering ages 22-24, before fully breaking into the rotation at 25.

Tong's repertoire is similar to Peralta's at that stage of his career, relying primarily on a fastball while working on developing command of his secondary pitches. That kind of mix may work best behind an opener, allowing the Mets to give him softer entry points to games and delay his second time seeing the top of the batting order.

The other factor to consider here is Peterson, who has not shown much effectiveness as a starter this season but has worked well out of the bullpen. One option here could be for Peterson to work in the same games as Tong, changing the look the opposition would face midway through a game.

The Mets do have other options to consider down the line, including a rehabbing Kodai Senga and other prospects like Thornton and Jack Wenninger, but doing something like this could offer the Mets some much-needed stability in the back of the rotation. Coming up with a consistent plan could also make it easier for Mendoza to deploy his regular relievers, especially if he has one game in every five where two starters cover most of the ground.

None of this matters if the Mets can't get more production out of their lineup but pitching may be the way for them to keep their season afloat. Providing stability in the rotation and allowing pitchers to have more established routines could also be very beneficial to enhancing their performance in the long haul.