Why Jonah Tong's Latest Mets Outing Was Encouraging

Jonah Tong was once again efficient on Tuesday in his latest start of the spring for the New York Mets.

In his second start of the spring against Team Nicaragua, Tong lasted 2.2 innings, allowing one run on five hits. He also tallied three strikeouts in what ended up being a 6-3 win for the Mets.

Jonah Tong's second start of the spring is in the books ✅ pic.twitter.com/2nwkpXvejM
— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) March 3, 2026

This start for Tong comes less than a week after he made his Grapefruit League Debut on February 25 against the St. Louis Cardinals. In that start his only blemish was allowing a three-run homer against Nolan Gorman during his 2.2 innings of work.

Since spring training began, the young right-hander has made working on his cutter a top priority. Tong felt it was working for him a lot better against Nicaragua than in his previous outing against St. Louis.

"I thought the cutter was really good today, I got some swings and misses on it and also filled up the zone on it really good...thought I found my changeup, which was nice, didn't have it last outing," Tong said.

Jonah Tong feels that his cutter was "really good" during today's outing

He's also happy that he "found his changeup," which he didn't have a good feel for in his last outing pic.twitter.com/WG8oWsSpc6
— SNY (@SNYtv) March 3, 2026

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza also echoed the very same sentiment. Mendoza felt that Tong utilized and improved on the use of his cutter and changeup in this outing.

"This outing, he used that cutter a lot, which is a pitch that he's working on," Mendoza said. "It came and went, but he kept going to it. I thought he threw some changeups; he fell behind some hitters a few times, but again, I think it came down to using the pitches that he's working on."

"This outing, he used that cutter a lot, which is a pitch that he's working on"

Carlos Mendoza talks about Jonah Tong's outing today: pic.twitter.com/SqDMEodlti
— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) March 3, 2026

Moving Forward

New York Mets, Jonah Tong — Feb 16, 2026; Port St. Lucie, FL, USA; New York Mets pitcher Jonah Tong (21) smiles as he takes a picture with fans during spring training at Clover Park. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images | Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

Tong is expected to start the season in Triple-A Syracuse. He posted a 7.71 ERA during five major league starts last season. However, the righty had a superb campaign in the minors in 2025.

New York has a plethora of options in the starting pitching department. This unit consists of Freddy Peralta, Nolan McLean, Kodai Senga, Sean Manaea, David Peterson and Clay Holmes. The Mets also have Christian Scott waiting in the wings, who, like Tong, is also likely to begin the year in Triple-A. They also have Tobias Myers, who has both relief and starting pitching experience.

Tong provided a jolt of excitement after his late-season call-up last year. The tall right-hander has made it very clear on his desire to work on his cutter all throughout the spring to help him become the dominant starter the Mets know he can be at the big league level.

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