The Mets recalled right-hander Jonah Tong from Triple-A Syracuse on May 22, 2026, and designated veteran reliever Craig Kimbrel for assignment, a roster shuffle meant to buy the club innings as it runs a marathon of games.
Tong had been starting in Syracuse this season, posting a 5.68 ERA across nine Triple-A starts, but the club has kept him under consideration because of his swing-and-miss upside. Manager Carlos Mendoza said Wednesday, "We’re keeping him in play," after Tong was scratched from a scheduled Syracuse start that day. Tong then threw in Syracuse on Thursday — touching 97.9 mph on the radar — and was expected to fly to Miami for the weekend series unless weather intervened.
The raw numbers split the decision: Tong led minor-league baseball last season with 179 strikeouts and pairs a power fastball with a changeup, yet his five major-league starts a year ago produced 18 2/3 innings and a 7.71 ERA. In Triple-A this season his results have been uneven, but his ability to miss bats is the reason New York is betting on him for immediate help.
The Mets moved Kimbrel to DFA on the same day. The veteran right-hander allowed 10 earned runs in 15 innings for New York this season and carried a 6.00 ERA into the designation; the club noted he will head into DFA limbo while they clear roster room. Kimbrel was on a minor-league deal and had appeared in 15 innings for the big-league club in 2026 prior to the move.
Context drove the urgency. New York is in the middle of a 16-day stretch with a game every day, and the bullpen has been thinned by injuries. Clay Holmes was placed on the injured list over the weekend with a fractured fibula; Holmes led the Mets in innings at the time of his injury on Friday. With those strains, the organization has been weighing whether to use Tong as a sixth starter or as a bulk option after an opener.
That duality exposes the tension at the heart of the call. Mendoza acknowledged the trade-offs plainly: "There’s no denying that he’s been inconsistent," he said, and immediately added, "But we also like how he bounces back." Tong’s profile — power, a downhill fastball that reached 97.9 mph in his last outing and a developing changeup — promises innings when it clicks, but his recent results in Triple-A and a rocky big-league line from last year make the outcome uncertain.
The timeline in the last week compressed matters. Tong was scratched from a scheduled Tuesday start in Syracuse, then threw on Thursday and was eyed for the road trip. The Mets lost Wednesday night to Washington, and the club moved to finalize its roster ahead of the Miami series: Tong was recalled and Kimbrel designated on May 22, 2026.
For Tong, the recall is immediate and literal: a chance to provide innings in a rotation stretched thin and to prove that the strikeout totals that once carried him through the minors can translate into sustained major-league success. For Kimbrel, the DFA begins a period of uncertainty after a rough run in which he allowed 10 earned runs across 15 innings this year.
This is a deliberate gamble by the Mets. With Holmes sidelined and the team facing a dense schedule, New York is prioritizing length over experience; Tong’s recall signals the club is willing to absorb short-term inconsistency for the possibility of length and strikeouts. The Mets will find out fast whether that bet pays off — the looming series in Miami should determine whether Tong is deployed as a bulk arm to eat multiple innings or as a true rotation option under heavy workload pressure.
