Mets Pitching Prospect Jonah Tong Bounces Back in Third Triple-A Start of 2026

He failed to get through two innings in his previous outing

Mar 3, 2026; Port St. Lucie, FL, USA; New York Mets pitcher Jonah Tong (21) delivers a pitch against Nicaragua during the first inning at Clover Park. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

New York Mets pitching prospect Jonah Tong responded to the adversity he faced in his second start of the season by turning in a strong performance in his third Triple-A game of 2026.

Tong, New York's No. 2 prospect and MLB Pipeline's No. 45 overall prospect for 2026, tossed five solid innings for the Syracuse Mets on Wednesday. The 22-year-old gave up two runs on one hit and two walks, while striking out seven in Syracuse's 4-3 loss to the Buffalo Bisons, the Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays.

This outing came on the heels of a disastrous appearance on April 2, when Tong gave up seven runs (four earned) in 1 2/3 innings pitched against the Toledo Mud Hens, the Triple-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. The young righty also only had two strikeouts in that game, while surrendering four hits and three walks. But the top prospect was clearly able to turn the page in his next start, which is a good sign for any Mets fans who may have been overly worried after seeing that previous box score.

How Jonah Tong can build on latest performance

Sep 24, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; New York Mets pitcher Jonah Tong (21) throws a pitch during the first inning against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images | Matt Marton-Imagn Images

When looking at the numbers across all of Tong's starts so far in 2026, it's strange to see that second outing in between two appearances in which he only allowed one hit. But beyond that, another stat that sticks out is the prospect's strikeouts. It's obviously only in a small sample size so far this year, but the 22-year-old had more punchouts in Wednesday's game (seven) than he did in his two previous outings combined (six).

Tong now has 13 strikeouts in 10 2/3 innings pitched this year. In two starts at Triple-A in 2025, the hard-throwing righty had 17 punchouts in 11 2/3 innings. And last year as a whole, the 2022 seventh-round draft pick racked up 179 strikeouts in 113 2/3 minor league innings.

The 22-year-old can clearly strike hitters out. But, for whatever reason, that wasn't happening as much in those first couple of appearances this year. As Tong gets into the groove and routine of the season, though, look for the young righty to start collecting strikeouts more in line with his performance on Wednesday.