If nearly throwing a seven-inning no-hitter Saturday shifted everything in Jonah Tong’s favor for returning to the Mets in September, interim manager Andy Green didn’t provide many concrete hints one day later.
But, Green said, “it definitely becomes a discussion point” for himself, for president of baseball operations David Stearns and for others. Tong, while starting the first game of a doubleheader for Triple-A Syracuse, came within one out of an abbreviated no-hitter, allowing a single with two outs in the sixth inning while otherwise scattering just two walks.
He struck out eight batters, lowered his ERA in the minors to 4.54 and continued to make earlier struggles seem like afterthoughts.
“I think we’re glad to see those results from Jonah,” Green said before the Mets completed a homestand with a final game against the Astros at Citi Field. “… He’s doing some really nice things, so that is definitely not unseen. … Encouraging outing for him for sure.”
While Green admitted he only finished watching three innings before getting sidetracked, he thought Tong’s fastball had “real life,” that the ball was “really jumping out of his hands” and that the 23-year-old was winning at the top of the strike zone.
The Mets’ No. 2 pitching prospect — and No. 5 prospect overall, according to MLB Pipeline — recorded a 3.60 ERA across three appearances as a bulk-inning reliever in the majors this season, but he struggled after getting sent back to Triple-A in early June.
The turnaround, though, has been promising as Tong continues to build his bid for a return to the majors before the season ends — especially with the Mets’ postseason hopes virtually nonexistent.
Rosters expand from 26 to 28 players on Sept. 1.
Journeyman Robert Stock has made five starts and is set for a sixth Monday, but he allowed seven runs on 10 hits during a dismal outing last week.
Tong also struggled at times in the majors last year, with a 7.71 ERA across his five starts, but he soared through the minors last season to land his first MLB chance and quickly emerged as a promising rotation piece for his next Mets era.
For now, though, the question remains if he’ll get another chance with the Mets over the final month of games. And the outing Saturday certainly didn’t hurt his case.
