Carlos Mendoza Explains Why Mets Optioned Jonah Tong to Minors

The New York Mets have a lot of solid options when it comes to their starting rotation for the 2026 season.

Their trade for former Milwaukee Brewers ace Freddy Peralta made it so Peralta and rookie Nolan McLean will be at the top of the team's rotation. Behind them (assuming no trades will take place between now and Opening Day) will be Clay Holmes, Kodai Senga, Sean Manaea, and David Peterson.

There was some interest about where this left one of the Mets' top prospects, Jonah Tong. While it seems like Tong is destined to be a frontline starter for years to come and has been elite in the minor leagues to this point, there's a case to be made that he could use some more development. This is proven by Tong having a 7.71 ERA across 5 starts for the Mets in 2025.

New York Mets starting pitcher Jonah Tong | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

And since the Mets don't need major league arms at this point, it made sense for Tong to start the season with Triple-A Syracuse.

Mets' Carlos Mendoza Addresses Jonah Tong Minor League Option

And this is exactly what's happening, as news broke on March 10 that the Mets had decided to have option Tong to Triple-A Syracuse for the remainder of spring training, which conveys that he'll begin the 2026 campaign in the minor leagues.

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza spoke with the media before his team's March 20 exhibition against the St. Louis Cardinals and detailed this decision for Tong.

“He’s a big part of what we’re trying to do here. Just go down there and continue to develop and work on some things that you need to work on," Mendoza said about Tong, per a March 10 article from Mike Puma of The New York Post.

New York Mets manager Carlos Mendoza | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

“We were pretty honest with [Tong] from the very beginning, understanding that injuries happen throughout camp,” Mendoza said. “But the most likely outcome was he was probably going to start the year at Triple-A. But having that relationship with him now is more like some of the things he needs to work on.

“He’s a humble guy that wants to continue to get better, always asking good questions, which is basically what we saw [previously]. And the way he handles adversity," Mendoza added.

Given how prevalent injuries are to starting pitchers, it's very likely that Tong will be in the big leagues at some point in 2026.

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