Mets Option Jonah Tong

"Tong, one of the organization's top pitching prospects, debuted last August. He got the call roughly two weeks after the Mets brought up Nolan McLean. While the latter dazzled over his first eight starts, Tong had a rockier debut showing. He surrendered 20 runs over his first 18 2/3 innings. Tong had two solid starts but was hit hard in his other three outings."

"McLean slots behind Freddy Peralta as the highest-upside arms in Carlos Mendoza's rotation. Kodai Senga and David Peterson are back despite coming up in some offseason trade speculation. Sean Manaea and Clay Holmes also have spots in what'll probably be a six-man rotation."

"Tong will continue to build up in Triple-A as injury insurance. He made one start in MLB camp, allowing three runs across 2 2/3 innings. Tong has only made two career starts at the Triple-A level. He dominated Double-A opposition to a 1.59 ERA with a 41% strikeout percentage over 20 starts earlier in the season."

"Francisco Lindor played four innings during a minor league Spring Training game on Tuesday. Anthony DiComo of MLB.com relayed the news, noting that the minor league camp allowed Lindor to work solely as a defensive player without needing to bat. Lindor, who is exactly one month removed from sustaining a hamate fracture in his left wrist, has been hitting in the batting cage but isn't ready to bat in games."

The Mets optioned right-hander Tong to Triple-A Syracuse following spring training. Tong, a top pitching prospect, debuted last August with mixed results, allowing 20 runs over 18 2/3 innings with inconsistent performance across five starts. He entered spring training seventh on the rotation depth chart and made one camp appearance, surrendering three runs in 2 2/3 innings. The rotation features Nolan McLean, Freddy Peralta, Kodai Senga, David Peterson, Sean Manaea, and Clay Holmes in a likely six-man configuration. Tong will serve as injury insurance while continuing development in Triple-A, where he previously dominated Double-A competition with a 1.59 ERA. Separately, Francisco Lindor played four defensive innings in a minor league game, continuing his recovery from a hamate fracture sustained one month prior, with Opening Day approximately two weeks away.

Read at MLB Trade Rumors